For Kate's Sake
by EvaFlack001
Summary: Meet Kate Kennedy, new CSI. How will she fit in at the Crime Lab? How will our favourite detective get along with the newest member of the team? Please review. Chapter 30 finally up. Flack/OC,Stella/OC, Danny/Lindsay and Mac/Peyton.
1. Welcome to My World

_Hi everyone, welcome to my offering. I hope it doesn't offend or bore any of you! It's my first fic so I'd love some reviews but please be gentle. I don't want any hate mail! _

**Chapter 1. Welcome to My World.**

The shrill beep of the alarm clock made Kate Kennedy sit straight up in bed, heart pounding. She looked over at the bright green display on the face of the clock that read 6:15am. Groaning, she rubbed a hand over her face and dropped back on the pillows.

Seconds later the front door opened and she heard footsteps come towards her. She tensed herself for the inevitable.

"Get up, Katykins!"

"Get off me!"

"Get up, you brat." Tara tickled her sister in the ribs. "You'll be late for your first day."

"Ok, ok." Kate sat up and shoved her tangled hair out of her face. "I'll be good."

Twenty minutes later she was wrestling her hair into some semblance of order and survrying her reflection in the wide mirror of the hallway.

"Coffee," Tara said, handing her a mug. "You'll need it."

Tara had changed into her pyjamas, her eyes heavy with fatigue.

"Thanks." Kate gratefully accepted the mug and looked at herself again. "How do I look?"

"Like me," Tara answered. "Fantastic!"

Laughing, Kate looked at their reflection as Tara came to stand beside her. All their lives, they had turned heads. Being totally identical would do that, she mused. They had always been like mirror images of each other, even when Tara had gone through her punk rocker phase.

"Ok." Taking a final gulp of her coffee, Kate turned to her sister. "Gotta go. Did you talk to the new tenant yet?"

"Not yet," Tara answered. "I think he's a cop. He seems to come and go at funny hours." She yawned widely. "Go on, Kate, I need sleep! We'll talk to the mysterious new neighbour later!"

"Love you," Kate gave her twin a brief hug and picked up her jacket.

"Back at you, baby sister."

Kate stood in the elevator at the huge building that would be her place of work for the next few years. She'd trained hard for this day, earning her place in the Police Acadeny and working her way up to Detective after just two years on the force. She'd gone back to college to earn her degree in Criminal Science and her background as a police officer meant that she was eligible for field work straight away instead of being confined to a lab.

Walking into the lab on the thirty fifth floor, she knocked lightly on the door labeled 'Mac Taylor'.

"Come in."

"Hi," she said, smiling at him. "Just wanted to let you know I've arrived and see where you want me."

"Hi, Kate," Mac said, standing up. "Just in time. There's a DOA over on thirty fifth and Broad. You can go with Stella. Bonasera," he added, noting her look of confusion. "She'll be shadowing you for a bit. At least until Lindsay and Danny get back from honeymoon."

"Ok," Kate said, feeling like she was thrown in at the deep end. "I'll get my gear together."

She went to the locker room and pulled out the navy police issue vest with CSI written on it in bold yellow letters. Checking her weapon, she clipped it onto her belt and pulled her badge from her bag.

"Ready?" A female voice inquired.

Kate turned to see a tall, curly-haired woman standing in the door. Her green eyes were friendly and she was dressed, like Kate, in her Crime Lab vest. She handed Kate a navy windbreaker with NYPD on it, smiling at her.

"I'm Stella," the woman explained. "Mac said I'd find you here. You must be Detective Kennedy."

"Kate." Sticking out her hand and shaking Stella's, Kate admred the natural beauty and confidence that radiated from the older woman. "It's just Kate."

"Let's go, Just Kate," Stella joked. "The traffic can be murder downtown."

At the crime scene, yellow tape had already been set up around the area. Uniformed officers patrolled the borders, their expressions blank. Some nodded to Stella, some smiled.

"Hey, Stel," a tall police officer greeted her, lifting the tape for them to duck under. "Who's the rookie?"

"This is Kate Kennedy," Stella answered. "She's no rookie, either, Davis. She's already made Detective."

"No kidding," Davis said, impressed. "Why'd you go over to the dark side, Detective?"

"Because I wanted to learn more about the criminal mind," Kate answered. She shot him a quick grin before adding "And the pay is better."

"Davis." The deep male voice from behind her made her jump. "Are you holding up my CSI's?"

"Nope," Davis cheerfully answered the man who'd asked the question. "They're flirting with me."

"Give it a rest," Stella said, cuffing him on the side of the head. "Try and portray a good image to the new girl, would you?"

"You guys here to talk to Officer Davis?" the man teased." Or would you like to join Hawkes at the actual crime scene?"

"Flack," Stella admonished. "Don't be a jerk." She gestured for Kate to follow her. "Kate Kennedy, this is Don Flack, Junior. Homicide, obviously."

"Hi," he said, looking her over quickly.

Eye candy, Kate thought with a grin at the thought of what Tara would say about this one. Tall dark and handsome, was her own image of the Detective.

She judged him to be about four or five years older than her own twenty six, and he was what her Irish granny would have called hot stuff.

Tall, well built, she thought as she took out her camera and began snapping pictures of the dead man on the ground. Idly scanning the area around him for some evidence, she spotted a piece of paper on the ground. She immediately picked itup and felt a small shiver at the note written on it.

"Let virtue distinguish the brave," she read aloud.

Detective Flack stopped in the middle of his report to Stella and looked at her, quirking one eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"The note," Kate waved it at him. "It says 'Let virtue-'"

"Let me see that." He grabbed it and looked at it, his face growing serious."Stella..."

"I hear you," Stella said, her face pale. "Everybody get back!" She began to follow Detective Flack's lead, running towards the people outside the perimeter. They gestured wildly, ordering people to move.

Kate looked around her, utter confusion turning to panic as people began to rapidly run from the scene.

"What's wrong? Stella?"

"Kate," Stella shouted. "Move. It's a-"

The sudden rush of air and the force of the blast knocked her off her feet and backwards into the air. The last thing she saw was Stella and Detective Flack running towards her before the world turned black and she passed out.

_So, what do you think? I know it's a little long winded, but I wanted to give some background and introduce some of the characters. _

_Any notions as to where this one should go? I suck at the whole crime scene writing, so please bear with me. I'm watching all the repeats at the moment, praying for inspiration._

_Please review!! _


	2. Twin Tuition

Wow

Wow! Oh wow people liked it! Ok down to brass tacks now. First of all, I forgot to mention earlier that I don't own CSI, or any of its characters or storylines. I am merely borrowing them to fuel my imagination. I also don't own any characters from Third Watch either. So please don't sue me!

A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially to Aphina and Madison Bellows and of course Brown Eyed Girl 75 for their advice and kind words. DOL, I hope that you like this one!! If you guys like it, I'll keep writing it. And I have started major research so hopefully some holes will be filled regarding the NYPD and NY itself.

Ok, here goes. Enjoy!

Chapter 2 : Twin-Tuition.

Kate could hear voices. They buzzed in her brain like angry bees.

"Kate?"

"Detective Kennedy? Can you hear me?"

"Get her out of there!"

Hands pulled the pieces of metal and trash from around her. She groaned as she felt a pain in her arm and her back. She'd have bruises, she thought, still not fully conscious of her surroundings.

She attempted to open her eyes and found herself staring up into the pale face of Stella Bonasera.

"What happened?" she croaked. "Am I dead?"

Stella laughed despite her fright. "No, Kate. You're not dead. Although it was a hell of a way to start your career with us."

"With a bang," Kate joked, struggling to sit up. "Ow. Ow!"

"Easy," Sheldon Hawkes said, gently helping her to sit up and lean against Stella for support. "Flack!"

"Yep?" Flack came over to join them. "You ok?" He directed the last at Kate, who was gingerly trying to move her extremities.

"Don't move," Hawkes said suddenly, putting out a hand to keep her still.

"Why not?" Kate froze in the act of raising her arms and looked down. "Oh God."

Sticking out of her right arm was a piece of twisted metal. Blood oozed out of it and dripped onto her shirtsleeve.

"Um, that looks bad," she said, paling slightly and looking up at Flack. She put a hand to her head. It was bleeding. And hurting. She was covered in dust and other shrapnel from whatever it was that had exploded.

"Damn," Flack said, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet. "That looks nasty. Hawkes?"

"Nothing major nicked, from what I can see," Hawkes answered with another glance at Kate. "But she'll need a stitch on her forehead and that wound patched up. The metal isn't deep. It's just awkward."

"I'm ok," Kate was telling Stella. "But I thought I was dead." She stopped, looked around. "Um, Stella, if a bomb went off then why isn't the whole area destroyed?"

Stella looked a little sheepish. "I know. I'm sorry. But the last time this happened, the device at the scene took out half a building. This one seems like-"

"A flash grenade?" Flack suggested. His own arm was bleeding through the blue shirt he wore, and his tie was askew.

"That's what I was thinking," Stella answered, keeping one arm around Kate. "It wasn't enough to damage any buildings, but she could have been seriously hurt."

"This one's like the other two," Flack said seriously. "Just on a smaller scale. It has to be the same."

"You ok?" Hawkes asked him, pointing to his arm.

"I'm fine, Hawkes." He waved away Hawkes' suggestion of medical treatment.

"You're bleeding," Kate pointed out. She looked down at her shoulder again, and felt her stomach roil.

"Kate, " Stella's voice was getting faint. "Kate, you look a little pale. Maybe you should sit down again…"

"Uh oh," Kate managed, swaying on her feet. "Going out…"

Flack lunged for her and caught her just before she hit the ground.

When she woke again, she was on a gurney and being pushed through the ER at Queen of Mercy Hospital. Her head hurt badly and she felt quite sick. There was a ringing in her ears to boot. Looking up at the various medical personnel around her, she honed in on the one familiar face.

"Flack?"

He peered down at her, relief stamped across his face. "Hey, there. You ok?"

Kate looked up at him, her eyes glazed. "You have really pretty eyes."

He laughed softly. "They all like the eyes. Oh no you don't," as her eyes rolled again. "Stay with me this time. Kate?"

"No need to yell," she answered irritably. "I don't have broken eardrums."

"Good," he answered. "Now, answer the nurses like a good girl and- what?"

"Tip for you, Detective," laughed the nurse. "Never tell a Kennedy what to do. If she's like Tara, then it could be dangerous."

Kate looked over at the other bed in the little room. Flack was sitting on it, his shirt off. He was looking anywhere but at the needle going in and out of his arm.

"Are you afraid of needles, Detective?"

He snorted. And winced as the needle slid in again. "No. Well, maybe a little. Last time I was in this place, they were plugging a hole in my chest."

Kate's eyes wandered to the scar over his heart. "Damn." She jumped as the young intern treating her pulled the metal out of her arm. "Some warning!"

"Why didn't she have to take off her shirt?" Flack demanded as the nurse placed a bandage over his lower arm and grinned at him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Detective. Now try and stay out of trouble."

"When am I going to be told what the hell happened?" Kate looked at him, frowning. "I just got nearly blown up-"

"You didn't get 'nearly blown up'," Flack shot back. "You were next to an exploding trash can and-"

"Got a mild concussion, and ten stitches in my arm as well as two in my head, and I-"

"Really need to be quiet," the doctor, whose nametag read Moira Knight, interrupted her. "I can't sew this hole in your head if you don't."

Kate relaxed but continued to glare at Flack, who was putting his shirt back on. "You're done? Already?"

"It's the eyes," Flack quipped, enjoying himself when she turned red as a beet. "They are the key."

"Ass," she muttered.

"All done," Announced Dr Knight cheerfully. "You two can head home now. I just want to check you over again, Kate. Detective, would you wait outside?"

"Sure." Flack winked at the still smiling nurse and strolled out.

Kate looked over at Flack as he drove towards the apartment building. He could have blown her down with a feather when it had turned out that her new neighbour the cop was the one driving the big black Jeep.

"Is there anyone I should call for you?" Flack's voice broke into her thoughts and she looked at him again.

"No need. She'll know. She always knows."

"Who'll know what?" Flack was clearly baffled. "Um, Kate, did you hit your head really hard when you went flying?"

"Shut up," she retorted, swatting at him. "She'll know. It's the twin tuition."

"Twin tuition? Right," Flack said slowly. He parked the jeep and hurried around to open the door for her.

"I have a twin sister," Kate explained. "She'll just know. She always knows."

"You sound like a parrot," Flack joked. He pressed the button for the fourth floor and glanced at her. She looked dead on her feet, yet she'd wanted to go back and help Stella and Adam clear up the crime scene. Shaking his head at the foolishness of women, he followed her into the apartment she shared with her sister.

A whirlwind came barrelling into the living room. That was the only way he could describe it. The woman was like a damn hurricane. She rushed to her sister and threw her arms around her, wincing in sympathy when she saw the bandaged arm.

"What the hell happened? Why didn't you call me? Are you ok?" Whirling around to face Flack, she continued to fire questions at them. "How many stitches? And who is this guy?"

Kate sighed wearily. "Flash bomb type thing at my crime scene. I didn't call because you were on night shift last night and I was ok. Flack was with me. Yes, I'm ok." She aimed a killer glare at her sister, anticipating her next question. "This is Detective Don Flack, from the Homicide Department. He works with me. He was hurt too."

"I'm ok," he said lightly. "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said twin. You two are like peas. In whatever peas come in." He was gawping. "I've never seen identical twins so…"

"Identical?" Kate quipped, looking over at Tara, who was seething. Her sister was like a flash grenade herself. All fire and no substance behind the heat. But if you were caught near the blast you could get hurt.

Tara glared at Flack. "Homicide? No wonder she got hurt. You guys are clearly not up to the job or all your clients wouldn't be dead."

Flack looked at her, noting the exact same features and expressions as her sister. The same dark red hair, curling wildly around a small face with big green eyes. While Kate was a little more serious, this one was obviously the loud one. She would be hard work for any man.

"That's the point of working Homicide," Flack said dryly. "We solve the crimes and put the murderers behind bars." Turning to Kate, he smiled. "Stella called. She says that you can take desk duty tomorrow and review the files that go with this. When that arm is healed, you can go back in the field." He nodded politely to Tara before leaving the apartment.

"Thanks, Flack," Kate called after him. She turned to her sister, who was tapping her foot on the ground.

"Explain," Tara ordered before she turned to go put the kettle on.

"He's a colleague. And, " Kate added, flopping onto the couch, "He's the new cop neighbour."

"I'm not talking about Tall, Dark and Sexy," Tara retorted. She smiled slowly. "Although he's going to be a later topic. I want to know what happened and how you ended up next to a bomb."

"Flash grenade type thing," Kate corrected with a grin at her sister. "It could have happened to anyone."  
Tara handed her a mug of tea and curled up next to her on the couch. "A little embarrassing, though, Katie."

"Could you not remind me? They're going to be laughing at me enough as it is."

"Oh, baby," Tara cooed, clearly enjoying herself now that her initial panic had subsided. "Who's teasing you? Want me to beat them up?"

"Shut up."

"Nope," she grinned. "This is like the time that guy shot up the ER and you teased me for weeks because I slept through the whole thing."

"I'm going to clean up and change," Kate said, getting up. "Then I'm going back to work tomorrow and I'm going to go solve mysteries."

"God help us all," was Tara's answer as she dodged the pillow Kate aimed at her with her good arm.

You are _not_ a failure, Kate told herself as she shoved at the door to the bullpen at the five five. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and it was _not_ your fault that some crazy left a grenade in the trashcan. This will all be forgotten.

No such luck.

Three of the seven male detectives asked her if she was the new CSI that had tried to get herself blown up. Two more asked for her phone number and the other one was hauling a suspect across the floor so he was in no position to ask anything.

Her arm ached, she hadn't slept and she was in no mood to be messed with.

"Detective Kennedy," Flack's voice said behind her. He was smiling at her.

_That_ smile, she thought irritably. It was just her luck that the man who had managed to catch her when she passed out on her first day in the job was what Granny O Neill would have dubbed 'Serious Eye Candy'.

Ordering herself to get a grip, she smiled sweetly back and nodded when he asked if she was feeling ok.

"You got a minute?" His tone was serious.

"Sure," she answered, puzzled.

Following him into the interview room, she watched as he shut the door. "What's up, Detective?"

"It's Flack, ok. Just Flack."

"Fine. What's the problem?"

"It's the scene from yesterday. The note you got. The flash flames destroyed it. Can you remember what it said?"

Kate pursed her lips, thinking. "It said 'Let Virtue distinguish the Brave.' I think that was it. Why?"

Flack paced the room. "We've had four crime scenes in the last three months. All with the same MO, all with an explosive device and a cryptic note."

"Suspects?" Kate asked quickly, feeling the thrill of the challenge shiver through her.

"I'll get you the files," Flack answered, opening the door again and waiting until she exited ahead of him.

"Hey Flack," Kate called over her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to solve this one," she answered. "And then your fellow homicide frat boys are going to quit laughing at me."

"Go easy on them," he said lightly. "We haven't had a new girl since Monroe came from Montana. And you're easy on the eye. They like that."

She blushed a little, wondering what the hell was _wrong_ with her. "Thanks," she responded. "I'll be in the lab waiting for those files."

Flack stared after her, wondering what on earth had possessed him. He didn't usually look twice at the tiny redheads of the world. So what was it about this one that annoyed him and made him laugh at the same time?

Sighing a little, he went to retrieve the files that she needed and ordered a young rookie standing at the entrance to the bullpen to run them over to her.

"Got anything?" Stella poked her head around the door of the room where Kate sat, buried in files and paper. Her hair was falling out of its bun again and she was frowning at a page, humming to herself.

"Oh. Hey, Stella." She smiled distractedly at the older woman and peered down at the page again.

"How's it going?" Stella asked, rubbing her neck and yawning.

Something flashed and Kate noticed the glint of diamonds and gold on her ring finger. How had she missed that, she wondered. "It's ok. I'm looking at the pattern here." She held up the picture she had been looking at.

"James O Driscoll," Stella remembered. "He was shot, execution style. Showed signs of torture."

"He's connected to that raid on the warehouse downtown that Flack headed up a few years ago," Kate remarked. She frowned again. "That was the Wilder gang, wasn't it?"  
"That's right," Stella said, wondering where the other CSI was going with this. "Gavin Wilder was shot-oh my god! Execution style!"

"Yes," Kate said, pleased with herself. "Now if you look at the other three murders, the murderer has done exactly the same to all of them."

"Kate, we've looked into the drug connection." Stella looked at the photos spread out on the table. "All of Gavin Wilder's henchmen were arrested and imprisoned for assaulting Danny and Adam. They're still serving time."

"It may not be necessarily the Wilder connection," Kate said slowly. "It's an IRA style murder. My Granny used to tell me about them. They would kneecap their victims before torturing information out of them. Then, when they were done, they would line them up and shoot them right between the eyes."

"Lovely," Stella was disgusted. "So, we're looking for an Irish mob connection."

"James O'Driscoll, Patrick Murphy, John Donahue," Kate recited. "I'd say that is a pretty good indication." She began humming again. Suddenly she looked up, her green eyes lighting up with glee. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"The notes. Let virtue distinguish the brave. Think him poorest who shall be a slave. Honour's the song of the mind, and let friendship and honour unite."

"What are you talking about?" Flack had heard the last sentence as he came into the room. "Stell, I've got something." He was grinning like the cat with the canary.

"What have you got?" Stella asked.

"It's an Irish connection," Flack exclaimed. "To the Wilder family. Since Gavin was murdered a few years ago, the Dundon family has poached his empire. They're from another big IRA worshipping family. Drugs, property, their green fingers are in everything."  
"I figured that out already," Kate cut in, laughing when he threw up his hands in disgust. "I wasn't a detective for nothing, Flack. And I found out that all of the victims were part of the guys who were responsible for killing Gavin Wilder."

"So the murderer has to be connected to the Wilder gang," Stella mused. "Didn't we put the most of them behind bars?"

"You can't kill a bunch of rats," Kate scoffed. "They just go underground for years until it's relatively safe to come out again. How do you think the Troubles in Ireland started and kept going for the last three hundred years?"

"I think we should wait and see what Adam and Kendall come up with in Trace and DNA," Stella cut in quickly, before Flack could start sniping at Kate. "Then we'll see. Kate, the song you were talking about?"

Kate smiled smugly at Flack. "I got some good out of this red hair and those damn freckles I inherited." She shuffled the notes in their clear plastic coverings around on the table.

"Let the love of our land's sacred rites, to the love of our people succeed," she sang aloud. "Let friendship and honour unite, and flourish on both sides the tweed."

"Wow," Stella was astounded. "You can sing!"

"It's an old Irish rebel song," Kate told her. "It's called 'Both Sides The Tweed'. It was written to tell people that Ireland could be free if people just pulled together and wanted it enough."

"Damn," Flack whistled at Stella as Kate left the room, still humming. "Irish is something, ain't she?"

"Like Montana," Stella joked. "Her and Lindsay are going to be great together."

"We should be prepared," Flack said glumly, " to be in for a real treat. They're going to solve crimes on their own to spite me."

"Go solve this one," Stella ordered. "And we'll call you when we get DNA back on our victim."

She watched as he headed towards the trace lab to annoy Adam. And smiled widely. This was going to be very interesting!!

_A/N: So, what do you think? Sorry there weren't more technicalities in it. I'm still researching it. And I'm Irish, for anyone who thinks I'm stepping out of line on the whole IRA thing. I don't think they're still as bad as they were when I was growing up. _

_Did I mention that I don't own any of it? Just the ones you don't recognise. It's been a few days coming coos I've had exams and other stuff going on. Please review and let me know if it's worth continuing or if you have any plot suggestions or otherwise I'd love to hear them. _

_Also, anyone think I write too much on people and not enough on the actual crimes? I can try and correct that. _


	3. Heroes and Rebels

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all the review

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all the review! I'm so glad that you all like Kate and think that she's worth hearing more about. Just to warn you, there are surprises in this chapter so don't hate me!! All will be explained.

_**BEG75**__: Thanks so much for everything, you've been great. I'd say you're a great mommy!!_

_**Madison Bellows:**__ I appreciate all your advice and help. If I get to the stage when I have people hanging on my every chapter I'll know that I am at your level!!_

_**Aphina**__: As above. You have been a great help. I hope that it keeps you interested when I do up more of it!! _

_**Laplandgurl**__: I hope you liked the second chapter, and thanks for the review on the first. _

_**Shane Vanson:**__ It really is my first, so I'm really glad you like it. I've decided to keep writing it. I wasn't really sure at first; I figured that if people liked it, I'd keep at it. _

_**Freitazal, Padfoot, Lea and Sara**__: Thanks you guys that were so nice of you all. You all said the same nice things and I appreciate it. _

_**Amanda**__: Wow, welcome to the world of Fanfiction. I love it and I know you will too. I'm flattered that you liked mine, it's my first fanfic ever and I'm going to be updating hopefully fairly regularly. _

_**DOL**__: You know who you are!! I'm glad you like it I'm really flattered that you would keep reading it and I appreciate all the advice. You're the best x_

If I've left anyone else out, I'm sorry. I do appreciate all the time you lot took to click that little button. Thank you!

**Chapter 3. Heroes and Rebels.**

"Kate?" Mac Taylor stuck his head in the break room and beckoned to Kate, who was sitting with Hawkes and Stella having coffee. "A word?"

Mac had been on leave following the birth of his daughter three days after Kate had been injured in the blast. He had called her to ensure that she was okay and told her that he'd see her when he got into the office the next week.

"Hey Mac," Stella waved at him. "How's Peyton doing?"

"Great," Mac smiled at the mention of his wife. "She's at home with the baby, She wanted to come in and see you guys but she just isn't up to it yet."

"What did you call the baby?" Kate asked as she followed him to the office.

"Claire," Mac said softly. "She's called Claire Elizabeth Taylor."

Kate smiled at him. "That's beautiful." Everyone knew that Mac's wife had been killed in the 9-11 attacks. He'd grieved for her for almost two years and then had fallen in love with the pretty British medical examiner when they'd met at a crime scene.

"She is," Mac said with another of those rare smiles. He was a serious man, driven by his work and devoted to his family. Those grey eyes could be sharp as flint but Kate knew that he was one of the best criminalists in the city and his opinion was widely respected and sought after.

"Doctor Knight sent over the report from your last exam," Mac said, handing her a file. "You can go back to field work."

"Excellent," Kate rubbed her hands together with glee. "I've missed it." She stopped at the door and looked over at him. "Mac? Congratulations."

"Thanks." He turned back to the pile of paperwork and resisted the urge to call Peyton. Again.

Kate poked her head around the door of Stella's office and smiled as the other woman beckoned her in. Stella hung up the phone and turned to Kate with an expectant smile.

"I'm confused," Kate admitted sheepishly. "I really thought that DNA would come up with something to tie these victims together." She dropped into the chair across the desk and handed Stella the folder she had in her hands. "I think that the same person killed them, but the samples we found match with previous victims and still don't give us anything."

"Nothing came up?"

"Not a jot," Kate answered glumly. "Flack couldn't find anything other than the old rap sheets for them. They were all part of the original Wilder gang. They're not related to the Wilder family by blood and they've been out of that whole scene since the bust on the warehouse."

"Wait," Stella said slowly. "Didn't Donahue and O Driscoll give evidence against the Wilders in court in exchange for protection?"

"And they got it," Kate replied. "But when the threat was deemed no longer present, the security detail was lifted."

"Knock knock," Flack sang out as he shoved in the door. "Hey Stell, Kate. Got a minute?"

"Just one," Stella joked. "What's up?"

"I think I may have something," Flack said. "The common denominator for the four Irish rebels? It's the Tweed Bar downtown Queens."

"The Tweed Bar? That would match that pretty song you were singing, Kate!" Stella got to her feet quickly. "Flack, what else?"

"They were all regulars in the bar," Flack answered. "And they had invested in it when it was belonging to Gavin Wilder."

"So why would they be dead now?" Kate wanted to know. She rubbed at her head wearily.

"Because," Flack said smugly, "they all sold their shares in the bar to one Patrick Dundon, making the Wilder family local pub slash cover for drug dealing moot."

"Dundon took over the business," Kate began to pace. "Then the former associates of Gavin Wilder sold out to him and crossed over to the other side. And then-"

"Got good and dead for their trouble," Flack finished.

"But who would want them dead?" Stella wondered. "The top brass in the Wilder chain are all in prison."

Flack snorted at that. "We all know how much influence the prison systems can have on the outside, Stel."

"We need to look into the background behind the Wilder Dundon feud," Kate said. "Flack, can you do that? I need to find Hawkes."

"For what?" Flack asked.

She was already out the door, leaving him staring after her once again.

Kate found Hawkes comparing Trace found at the latest crime scene with that found at the others. He was poring over old records from previous murders connected to the Wilder family.

"Hawkes, I need you." Kate plopped onto the chair and laughed at his raised eyebrows. "Not that way, idiot. I need you to find me something that would connect my victims to someone in the Wilder family."

"Why?"

"Because it's the only way to get this damn case over and move me back in the field."

"I'll see what Adam and I can do," Hawkes said doubtfully. "But so far there is no link between the victims save the note left with each one."

"That note is a song," Kate mulled over the question that had plagued her for days. "So who was the singer?"

"It was quite possibly the owner of this hair I found," Kendall Novak said, popping her head up from the computer in the corner. "It was on the victim's clothing. Inside it, thank the Lord. So the CSI who almost blew a hole in the street didn't get the evidence covered in dust."

"Thanks," Kate said sarcastically, wondering what on earth had Kendall so crabby. "That's real nice, Novak."

"I'm a nice person," Kendall said tightly. "Even if other people don't know that. Even if people think I'm a dumb blonde, I'm not." Her blue eyes sparkled with tears.

"Kendall," Kate carefully considered what she was about to say. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"Ok. Well then. Do you think you could find that DNA in CODIS?"

"I've tried," she snapped out. "It's not there. If it was there, you'd have had your suspect in custody two days ago."

Kate closed her eyes and prayed briefly for patience. Hawkes wisely kept his mouth shut and continued to study his files.

"This DNA here belongs to someone that was around in all of the murders," Kendall announced a few moments later.

"How do you know that?" Kate asked tentatively, not wanting to annoy the Lab Tech further.

"Because it's owner has left skin cells under the nails of Mr O Driscoll, and skin samples on the note attached to Mr Donahue." Kendall paused to look up at them. "The DNA also matches the DNA found on blood samples on the clothing belonging to Murphy."

Hawkes rolled his eyes at Kendall's back as she held out the results of the second test for Kate to look at.

"That must be from the killer then."

"I just said that, didn't I?"

"Thank you, Kendall," Kate flashed the lab tech a brilliant smile. She left the lab and headed out of the building towards the precinct across the road.

Strolling through the bullpen, she merely grinned at the good-natured teasing of the other detectives and headed straight to Flack's desk. Sitting in the chair across from him was a tall and very attractive brunette.

"Hi," Flack greeted her. "Have you met Angell yet?"

When Kate shook her head the other woman held out a hand. "Jessica Angell. Homicide."

"Nice to meet you," Kate said, inwardly admiring the woman's brown boots. "Nice shoes."

"Thanks, " Angell answered with a broad smile. "You're the new CSI? The one who-"

"Nearly got blown up, yes," Kate replied with a glare for Flack. "I suppose he told you."

"Nah," Angell said airily. "It was all over the pit by the time I got back from Chicago."

Kate merely smiled and nodded. "I'll just bet it was." Turning to Flack again, she held out the file and showed him the results. "Before your eyes cross, that's your link to the killer. The DNA is on all four crime scenes. That person is your only suspect for now."

"Who is it?" Flack asked.

"You're a detective, Detective," Kate retorted. "Detect!" She made circular motions with her hands. "It's some lunatic Irish rebel out there, go find him. Bully him into a DNA sample so we can compare him and haul his ass in here."

"Just like that," Flack grumbled in disgust. "Women."

He looked over at the two women in front of him and beat a hasty retreat towards the file room.

Angell looked at Kate, considering. "You and Flack hooked up?"

"Excuse me?"

"You and Flack," Angell repeated. "You two got a thing?"

"Not that I know of," Kate answered slowly. "I just started here. I don't have time to hook up with anyone."

"Just wondering," Angell said flippantly. "You never know what will change around here." She picked up her bag and smiled again. "See you later!"

Kate blew out a breath. Angell was obviously interested in Flack. The blind men and the little green Martians could see that. Oh well, she thought. Hers was not to interfere. Flack could date whomever he wanted to.

The thought put a dark scowl on her face. She had no idea why it would, but it did.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Flack burst into the break room with a flourish. "We have a suspect!"

"Who?" chorused Stella and Kate dutifully.

"Our suspect is one Kevin Callahan," Flack answered. He was grinning like that cat with the cream. "He was dating Wilder's daughter while working for Dundon. When her father found out, he had him tortured and left for dead."

"Lovely," Kate murmured, the images sickening her.

"Wilder found out that his daughter was pregnant and he wanted her to give up the baby, so she committed suicide three years ago."

"God." Stella was appalled. "Poor kid."

"Yeah. So when she died, so did the baby. It seems that our friend Callahan went into hiding and before he did, he promised to pick off the people who had kept him from being with Anna. Starting with her father."

"But Gavin Wilder was shot before the drug bust," Stella said. "Can we trace the weapon that Callahan has to the murder weapon?"

"We couldn't at the time," Flack remembered. "But now that there are similar style murders, we can have the case reopened and see if the weapon used to kill Wilder was the one used to kill our dead rebels."

"Where do we start?" Kate asked him, trotting to keep up with his long strides as he hurried towards the elevator.

"You can come with me to pick up Callahan," Flack stated. "But you don't get in the way and you don't do anything other than get a DNA sample. I've got a warrant here."

"I was a cop too," Kate argued. "I can take-"

"Care of yourself, I know. I know. But these guys are extremely dangerous. I don't want you getting blown up today." He smiled a little. "At least wait until you've been here a month or so."

"Ha ha," Kate said sourly. "You're wasted in Homicide, Flack. You should be in comedy"

"Get your weapon," Flack ordered. "We're good to go now."

Kevin Callahan sat across from Flack in the small interrogation room. On the other side of the mirror, Hawkes and Stella watched as Flack questioned the other man.

"I'm not saying a word without my lawyer," Callahan insisted. He was sweating profusely.

"We have your DNA," Flack told him shortly. "Your time's up."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Hello, Mr Callahan," Kate said politely as she took a seat beside Flack and smiled calmly at the man in front of her.

"Nice," sneered Callahan. "They sure do make cops sexy now. This one of yours?"

Flack's jaw set but he said nothing.

"Let's talk about Anna," Kate said pleasantly, and had the pleasure of seeing his face turn red with anger.

"You don't talk about her," he snapped. "I won't talk about her."

"It must have hurt to lose the baby," Kate said softly. "It can be hard to go through. Maybe if she'd held on, not given up, you could have had another one."

Callahan's eyes were full of despair as he looked at her. "She was so happy," he said, voice wavering. "We were going to call him Eddie, after my father."

"That's nice," Kate said, her voice low. "I like that name."

Flack kept quiet, watched her.

"It hurt more when she left you alone, didn't it, Kevin?"

"They drove her to it," He screamed it, his face turning red. "She was beautiful, and we were having a baby and they drove her to it."

"So you killed them," Kate pressed. "You killed them off, one by one." She was looking at the page in front of her. "You started to kill off the Wilder family drones, to hit them where it hurt."

"They deserved it," Callahan scoffed. "They deserved to be shown how the old rules are. If you betray your own, you pay."

"You didn't know that they weren't part of the Wilder association," Kate sounded surprised. "You thought that they were doing Gavin's dirty work, when really they had sold out of the Wilder family and begun to work for Dundon."  
"That's a lie," Callahan protested. "They were doing Wilder's work for him when he was killed."

Almost there, Kate thought. "They were no longer working for Wilder," she repeated. "You killed men who had nothing to do with it."

"They killed her!" Callahan lunged for Kate, his hands clawing at her throat. "You should be glad they're dead. Scum off the streets,"

He was still shrieking at her as he was cuffed and led to the holding cell.

"You ok?" Flack helped her up. He ran his hands up and down her arms. "Kate?"

"Fine," she replied, wondering if he would mind if she threw up on his tie. "Fine."

"He got a good grip," Flack touched the mark on her neck. "You should go home when you file the paper work."

"Not done yet," Kate said tiredly. "He didn't confess. But he will. He will."

"First case down, huh? Congratulations."

"Feels like an anticlimax," Kate was disgusted. "I didn't even get to arrest him. That was too easily wrapped up."

"Take em when you get em," Flack advised. "The next one might not be so easy."

"True. I'm going to tell Mac, and then go home. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," he said, watching her leave. He seemed to always watch her leave, he thought. Shaking his head, he turned back to the files on his desk.

"That's one pretty package," Evan Thompson commented behind him.

"Give it a rest, Thompson," Flack ordered. "She's new. Cut her some slack."

"Ok," Thompson said, holding up his hands. "You take her. You saw her first."

Flack slammed down the file he'd picked up. "I mean it, Tom. Give it a rest."

The other man smirked and went back to his desk. "Flack, man, you're getting soft."

Kate leaned against the wall outside and watched as Kevin Callahan was led to a waiting van to be taken to the City Jail. Reporters snapped pictures of him and of the various other officers escorting him to the van.

"Thought you were going home," Flack said, appearing out of nowhere.

"I am. I was. I think they took my picture," Kate said quickly. She felt a little out of sorts. "They asked me if I arrested him," Flack said.

"What did you say?"

"Told em that it was the work of our finest new CSI that got him in the end," Flack declared.

"Thanks," Kate looked at the van driving away. "But they'll come back again. Stronger." She looked at the police station behind them. "They always do."

"Then we'll put them inside again," Flack said gently. "We always do."

_A/N: Ok, I know that this was a bit of an anti climax itself, but I have trouble with this one. It somehow doesn't go the way I want it to. Anyway, I hope ye didn't hate it too much. The next chapters are almost written so hopefully it'll pick up again soon. I have plans for this one! _

_Please leave suggestions etc in the reviews; it really helps me to keep the story going!_


	4. We got this one

A/N: Ok, so I know the last chapter wasn't my best

_A/N: Ok, so I know the last chapter wasn't my best. I have to admit I got a little stuck in the middle of it. To those of you wondering why Stella isn't married to Mac, I have my reasons and you will see them if you keep reading on. _

_Thanks again to those who reviewed, sorry if I disappointed anyone! _

_**4.**_** Old Faces, New Places.**

The phone rang, interrupting Kate's pleasant daydream about Josh Hartnett. She scrambled over the bed to grab it but managed to miss and land on her behind with a thump.

Swearing loudly, she looked at the caller ID. Number withheld. Wonderful.

"You ok in there?" Tara called out from her own room.

"Yeah," Kate yelled back. "Just managed to bruise my ass a little."

Tara appeared in her sister's doorway. She was dressed for work in her blue scrubs and her hair was tied back in a neat braid.

Kate envied her sister the ability to look tidy even when she was working in one of the busiest ER's in the city. She took Tara's offered hand and hauled herself to her feet.

"Bruises are fading," Tara commented. She cast her nurse's eye over the cut on Kate's arm and flicked to the one on her forehead. "They'll be gone soon."

"It's been two weeks," Kate pointed out. "And I've done everything you said to do."

"As well you should," Tara said primly. "It's not the safest job in the world, you know."

Kate only raised her eyebrows at her. "And your job is?"

"Good point," Tara conceded with a grin. She sighed as she looked at her watch. "I do hate nights. Are you on call tonight?"

Kate nodded, pointing to her pager, sitting on the nightstand. Even as she looked at it, it beeped. "Damn," she groaned. "I was going to take a bath and flop."

"Joys of it," Tara sighed, hugging her briefly before grabbing her bag and cell phone.

"Hello, Detective," she greeted Flack as she opened the door of the apartment. "You got a callout too?"

Kate heard Flack's deep voice answer before Tara hollered out a goodbye and left.

"Hey Kennedy!"

She shrieked as she entered her living room and saw Flack standing there. He was dressed down, in blue jeans and a navy sweater with NYPD on it. She looked down at her own jeans and sneakers and laughed softly.

"Nice outfit," he commented.

"What do you want, Flack?" Kate rummaged for her badge in her oversize purse and finally emerged with it.

"Got a callout," he answered, picking up a picture of herself and Tara and another woman. "Who's the other lady?"

"Deanna," Kate said, taking the frame from him and putting it back on the tv. "She's a friend of ours. Actually, she's a nurse too. She trained with Tara back in Chicago. We roomed together when we were all working there."

"You worked in the Chicago PD?"

"For two years," Kate confirmed. She was looking in her purse for a scruncie and gave up. There was one in her locker at the lab. "Are you waiting for me?"

"Yup," Flack answered. "Jackson called in sick so I get to cover him. Suit's at the dry cleaners," he added, answering her pointed look at his jeans. "I have stuff at work to change into."

"Let's go," Kate muttered. "I hate nights."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate jumped out at the lab and waved to Flack as he headed into the station. Mac stopped her as she went to drop her bag off. "We've got to get down town to a homicide," he said.

Kate turned on her heel and followed him to the waiting Jeep.

He was silent the whole way to the scene, not unusual for him.

"How's Claire doing?" Kate ventured.

"She's great," Mac answered as he indicated and pulled over in front of a house at the end of the row of picture perfect houses in the area.

"Looks like a real estate brochure," Kate commented as she grabbed her kit and followed Mac over to the cordoned off area of the front yard. She waved at Officer Davis, who was grinning at her and ducked under the tape.

Flack was coming towards her, his face grave. "Hey, guys," he greeted them soberly.

"What have we got, Flack?" Mac asked, looking over his shoulder at the house.

"Radio said it was a gunshot victim," Kate said.

"Yeah, it was." He looked over at the ambulance waiting on the kerb. "Mother found her. Eleanor Mitchell, nineteen years old. She was a single mom living at home with her parents."

Kate looked over at a blonde woman holding a baby. "That the mother?"

"Yep. Baby's name is Anna. Her husband is out of town on business. We've gotten in touch with the Boston PD to get him on the next flight home."

"Anyone hear the shots?" Kate asked him, looking away from the sight of the distraught woman holding the baby in her arms. It tore at her heart to see the misery in the woman's eyes.

"No witnesses," Flack answered. "We've got uniforms patrolling the area, and K-9's on the way to see if they can pick up anything."

"Burglary?" Mac asked.

"Nothing," Flack said heavily. "Apart from killing the girl, nothing was taken from the house."

"Let's get to work then," Mac said simply. "We have a killer to catch."

Kate headed over to the ambulance and cursed this part of her job that meant she had to interview a woman right after her daughter had been murdered.

"I'm Detective Kennedy," she said, after offering the woman her sympathy. She smiled at the gurgling baby. "Is this Anna?"

"Yes," Jennifer Mitchell said sadly. "She's Ellie's daughter." She began to cry.

Kate went into the house ten minutes later, feeling like she could cry herself. Jennifer hadn't been able to tell her much, only that she'd found Ellie when she got home from a party she'd been at. The woman was wracked with guilt over the death of her daughter.

"Anything?" Mac asked.

Kate shook her head. She looked down at the body on the ground and sighed. "Poor kid." Taking out her camera, she began to snap pictures of the victim from different angles. Mac was dusting the room for prints and taking DNA samples from the victim. He also found blood at the windowsill and took swabs of that too.

"Hawkes found partials and blood at the entry point," Kate reported. She was putting her camera back into its bag.

"Mac," said a female voice from behind her.

"Lindsay." Mac smiled at the woman standing there, and took off his gloves so he could give her a hug. "Welcome back. How was the honeymoon?"

"Great," Lindsay answered with a smile at Kate. "It was a little piece of heaven but we're home with a bang now. Danny is over with Stella and Hawkes and I got sent here. What's the story on our vic?" Turning to Kate with a laugh, she held out her hand. "Sorry, I'm Lindsay Munroe."

"Messer," Mac corrected her.

"The newlywed," Kate guessed. "Congratulations. I'm Kate."

"Nice to meet you, " Lindsay said and immediately turned to Mac again. "What have we?"

"Eleanor Mitchell, nineteen. Gunshot wound to the stomach." Mac rattled off the pertinents to the younger CSI and nodded to Hawkes as he came back into the room.

"The victim slept down the hall," Kate said slowly. "She must have known that there was someone in here and come down to check on Anna."

"But nothing was taken," Hawkes pointed out. "Motive wasn't robbery."

"How about kidnapping," Kate asked. "Who's the baby's father?"

"Flack is looking into it," Mac said. "Let's finish up here and head back to the lab."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

"Autopsy came back on our victim," Hawkes reported to Kate later that night as she leaned back in her chair and pushed away the photos of the crime scene. The young girl had been so pretty, she thought. It never failed to catch at her when a young person was killed. It was the reason she'd become a cop. To catch em and jail em, her Granny used to say fondly.

"Really? What did it turn up?"

"That autopsy?" Flack asked as he came into the room. He sat in the chair across from Hawkes and listened intently.

"The results indicate that Ellie Mitchell was shot, probably at less than four feet. She was struggling with the killer," Hawkes read.

"Trying to protect the baby, most likely," Kate said. She thought of little Anna and turned away from the photos of the scene.

"Anna's father is named on her birth cert as Edward Keller," Flack said. "Mac and I interviewed him and he said he doesn't believe that Anna is his."

"Ass," Kate said hotly.

"Easy, Irish," Flack said, raising an eyebrow. "He said that Ellie was in another relationship and that he believes that Anna is the result of that."

"Why would she lie?"

"Because Edward's family are wealthy and this other guy," Flack consulted his notes briefly before continuing. "He's called Martin Colson. From Harlem area."

Understanding flared in Hawkes' eyes and he looked apologetically at Kate. "So she told everyone that Anna was Edward's because he'd be a better provider."

"Did we interview Martin?" Kate asked. "We should talk to him."

"He's in interrogation," Flack answered. "Thought you'd want in."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate slammed the file onto the desk and stalked across the room. She was raging. The interview with Martin Colson had not gone well. Despite Flack's prodding and pushing, and he was very good at that, she admitted to herself furiously, they had gotten nowhere.

Martin Colson had motive, opportunity and no alibi. There was also no evidence linking him to the crime scene. Not a single strand of DNA.

"Dammit!" Kate cursed and kicked at the wall in frustration.

"Hey," Flack said as he entered and saw the raw fury in her eyes. "Calm down, Irish."

"He did it, Flack," Kate argued bitterly. "He did it. And he knows we have nothing on him." She paced the room, agitation coming off her in waves.

Flack watched her pace and fought to rein in his own temper. Him losing his cool would definitely not help.

"We'll get him," he said softly.

"How?" Kate asked helplessly. "She was a kid, Flack.. A kid with a kid. And he killed her."

"Hey," Flack took hold of her arm to stop her pacing past him. "Ease up a little. You're making me seasick."

He looked down into her eyes and spoke firmly. "If Colson did do this-"

"He did it."

Rolling his eyes at her interruption, he continued. "If Colson did do this, then he'll be caught. It's that simple. That's what we do."  
"Crap," Kate shot back. Her eyes were bright with temper. "You know the system doesn't work that way, Flack. Sometimes bad people go free."

Flack looked closely at her and saw something flash in her eyes that he hadn't seen before. "Why'd you leave the force and turn into a lab rat, Kate?"

"Because," she answered, pulling away from him. "A bad person hurt a good person and got away. And I couldn't stop him." She looked up at him again. "It was my first solo case. On the campus of the university. An eighteen-year-old co-ed was raped and murdered in cold blood. I was the investigating detective and the guy that did it got off Scot-free. Because the only witness was dead and there was no evidence to point him out." She began to pace again, unable to stand still. "He got away, and some woman lost her only child and got no closure because the so called system couldn't help her."

"Kate," Flack said gently, taking her small hand in his. "That happens, It wasn't your fault. And you couldn't go against the system because that's not what we do."

"We do nothing, Flack," Kate cried. "We tell ourselves that we do something and we do nothing. And Martin Colson will go the same way because he believes that it was ok to do what he did and get away with it."

She threw her hands in the air and dropped into the chair, defeated. "We have nothing to link him to Ellie Mitchell. Nothing."

"Sorry to interrupt," Lindsay spoke from the doorway. She looked sympathetically at Kate before continuing. "DNA shows that Edward Keller is not Anna's father."

Kate sat straight up. "What?"

"He's not her father," Lindsay repeated. "So that means that we can get a warrant for Martin Colson's DNA."

"Let's go," Flack said, getting to his feet. "Kate, you want in on this one?"

She was already following him out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Martin Colson was not pleased to see them arriving on his doorstep. He was so unhappy about it that he tried to run out the back door. Kate had anticipated his moves, but not the one that left her flat on her back and seeing stars as Flack chased him around the house and collared him at the neighbour's front yard.

"Hell, Irish," he said, walking over to where Kate was leaning against the cruiser and wincing at the pain in her head. "That's going to leave a mark."

"Who cares," Kate said. She smiled brightly at him. "We got him, Flack. We got him!" She did a little dance of delight and moaned as her head spun.

"Tara is going to kill me," Flack anticipated glumly. "I can't believe you got taken down again."

"He's got two feet and about eighty pounds on me," she retorted crossly. "I wasn't aiming to stop him, I was aiming to slow him down."

"Montana did that too, " Flack remembered. "Her and Mac were investigating some ass that had murdered a junkie and she just barrelled straight into him."

"Sounds like my kind of gal," Kate joked. "Always ready for-"

A loud bang went off and even as she realised that it was a gunshot Flack was shoving her to the ground, shielding her with his own body. Squealing tyres accompanied the shot and Kate heard the uniforms ordering Colson to stop.

"You ok?" Flack asked breathlessly. "Kate, are you ok?"

"Fine," she answered quickly. "Flack, we need EMS here. And quick."

Officer Delaney was lying on his back, blood pouring from his stomach. Kate dropped to her knees and ripped off her sweater, pressing it to the wounded man's side.

"Easy," She spoke softly to him, cradling his head in her lap. "That's it, take it easy."

Flack was telling dispatch, requesting help for the fallen officer when he began to gurgle and cough.

"Hold on for me," Kate ordered him, pressing her blood soaked sweater to his stomach and looking at him. "Hold on, you hear me?"

"They got Colson," Flack said quietly, looking at her as she continued to rock the man gently and talk to him. "He didn't get far. He's going to go down for shooting an officer and for endangering civilian lives."

"Delaney," Kate called to the man. "Can you hear me?" She slapped his face lightly, then harder, even as she realised the truth.

EMS arrived in a flurry of lights and sirens. The head paramedic, a young woman Flack called Kim, pronounced him dead. Kate didn't realise that she was covered in his blood until she stood up.

"Kate," Flack said gently, taking her hands in his. "Kate? Let's get you home, ok?"

"OK," she agreed meekly. She felt as if she were floating along.

Afterwards, Kate said that she remembered nothing of the ride home, only that Flack kept one of her bloody hands in his the whole way.

Tara rushed out into the living room when Flack rang the bell. Her eyes widened as she took in the blood on her sister's clothes.

"Katie? Honey are you ok?"

"Did we get him?" Kate asked flatly. "Did he confess?"

Flack, who had been on the phone, nodded. "He confessed to everything, Kate. He's going to prison for murdering Ellie Mitchell, and he's going to prison for killing a member of the NYPD." He tipped her face up so he could look in her eyes. "We got this one, Kate. We got this one."

"I'm going to get her cleaned up," Tara said after a moment. "Thanks for taking her home."

"I'll drop by in the morning, "Flack said, squeezing her hand for a minute. "To see how she is."

"You do that. We'll be here."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate woke up the following morning with a dull headache from whatever Tara had slipped in her tea. The events of the previous night slammed into her. Officer Delaney was dead. While she hadn't known him, she felt the loss deeply. It could have just as easily been her, or Flack. The thought made her shudder.

"Knock knock," Tara trilled, knocking on the door. "You have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"It's Detective Flack," Tara answered. "He wanted to see how you are."

"Tell him come in," Kate said. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Hey," Flack greeted her when she came out of her bedroom. "You ok?"

"I'm alive," Kate answered dully. "And Colson is in prison where he belongs."

"That's what matters," Flack said quietly. "That's all there is."

"It could have been either of us," Kate said with a shake of her head. "I didn't think that he'd do that. You didn't think he'd do that." She was trembling, the whole ordeal finally catching up to her.

"Hey," Flack said gently, surprising them both by wrapping his arms around her and hugging her to his chest. "It's ok."

"I'm a cop." The words were muffled as she burrowed into his chest. "I'm supposed to be hard and tough and I didn't know him but it was nearly me or you and it scared the hell out of me and-"

"It's ok," Flack repeated. He released her and skimmed a hand down her cheek. "We're ok." She said the words softly, looking into his bright blue eyes. Something clicked and buzzed inside her, and she immediately stepped back. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For getting all female on you."

"That's what females do," Flack said with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "They take complete advantage of me."

Kate smacked him. "You like it." She sobered up as she looked up at him again. "Thanks. Flack."

"For what?"

"For being a friend, even though you don't know me. For letting me rant and rave and not calling a psych eval down on me." She smiled then, a wide, bright smile. "And for stepping up and being ready to take a bullet for me."

"No problem," he grinned. "Now can you get me breakfast and tell Tara to come out from behind her bedroom door?"

Tara emerged, looking sheepish. "Sorry. Now that you two are bosom buddies can one of you make coffee?"

Both women eyed Flack. "Coffee," they ordered in unison.

"Women," Flack groaned at them as he went to put on the percolator.

Tara and Kate looked at each other and burst out laughing. Kate took the hand her twin offered her and held it tight.

"We got this one," she said softly. "This one's ours.

This one was easier to write than the last one. For any fanatics out there, it's based on the season 3 episode called "Silent Night". I've just tweaked it a little for my own purposes.

_Next chapter will be a little bit of lighthearted fun. I've had enough of crime and death for about 800 words or so! _

_Thanks to those who reviewed. I'm so thrilled at all the new ones. You guys make my day!!_


	5. Time Out

_To Aphina, Madison and BEG75, Thanks so much. I know I keep saying it but it's all I can say cos ye have been brilliant and yer stories are fantastic. Ye are a real inspiration._

_To DOL, you're a pet and thanks so much for the plotting session it was great and I've loads of ideas gotten now for it! _

_Everyone else thanks so much. Yes I know, broken record but it's just so cool to see all the reviews. There are no words!!_

5. Time out.

The prospect of twenty-four hours off without the prospect of being called into work had Kate practically skipping into the five five. She waved cheerfully to Davis and Sully, and headed straight to where Jessica Angell was sitting at her desk, grimacing at the pile of paperwork in front of her.

"Hey," Angell greeted her with her usual smile. "You got that report for me?"

"I do," Kate answered with a matching one. "And I am out of here. Mac promised me twenty four hours off when I finished this one."

"Lucky you," Angell said glumly. "I have to work for another eight and then do tomorrow too." She smiled grimly. "Special Vics was never like this."

"Special Vic's would drive you out of your mind if you let it," Kate said. "I did it in Chicago before Homicide and I gotta tell you, it sucked."

"Remind me again why we do this job?"

"Why Detective, don't you know?" Kate stood ramrod straight and placed her hand on her heart solemnly. "It's to serve and protect the good people of this city and to uphold the law in all its forms."

"It's to pay the damn bills and to get my landlord off my back," Angell retorted. "Go away, lab rat. Go enjoy your hours off. They are precious and few."

Kate was laughing as she left the precinct. She liked Angell. After realising that Kate was no threat to her, Angell seemed to really relax and she was easy to talk to. Kate's secret opinion was that Angell had a thing for Flack.

The sound of cursing and sirens filled the air as a black and white pulled up outside the station and a plain blue sedan screeched to a halt behind it. Flack hopped out of the plain car and grinned at the prisoner being taken from the cruiser.

Spotting Kate, he asked Boscorelli and Yokas to take the man into holding and book him.

"I love when justice gets served," he said cheerfully. "What has you so happy?"

Kate craned her neck up to look at him and fervently wished she wasn't so small. Her five two made absolutely no impact on his six two and even in heels her head tucked neatly under his chin.

The man made her feel like a dwarf.

"I'm off for twenty four whole hours," she said gleefully. "I don't have to come in until tomorrow night and even then Mac promised I could head home if it's quiet."

"Kate," Flack spoke to her as one might speak to a small child. "We live in New York. Nothing is ever quiet."

"Well they better be seriously dead to get me in on my night off," Kate said firmly. "I am going out with Tara tonight and that is that."

Just then, her cell beeped, indicating a text message. Pulling it out of her bag, she read the message, her face falling.

"What's wrong?" Flack asked.

"Tara has a date tonight," Kate said sadly. "I think that I'll stay in and watch Jerry Maguire. Again."

"Why don't you come out with us tonight?" Flack asked. "Danny and Hawkes are coming out, so are Kendall and Adam I'm told. Stella can't make it and Mac is on sitter duty tonight." He paused to look at her. "You should come. I'll stop by at about seven. We can go together."

Kate found herself nodding in agreement. "Seven. Great." Stupid. Stupid. Why didn't you say no, she raged to herself.

"See you later," Flack said nonchalantly and disappeared into the building leaving Kate with butterflies in her stomach. Again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the month since Jim Delaney's death and Martin Colson's subsequent arrest and trial, Flack had become a regular feature at the apartment, often stopping by to have coffee or simply waiting for Kate if they had a matching shift.

Which hadn't been all that often, she mused as she stuck her key in the lock and entered her apartment. She was irritated to find that she actually missed his teasing and the banter that he kept up at a crime scene. At first, she'd found it annoying, but had gradually come to realise that if things weren't kept light, they would all go slowly out of their minds.

"Kate! Thank God." Tara appeared out of the bathroom. Her hair was piled up on her head, her eyes smoky grey with shadow making them look bright green. She had borrowed Kate's favourite black dress, the one with the straps and the full skirt, Kate noticed.

"Which ones?" She held up a pair of black peep toe shoes in one hand and a pair of strappy sandals in the other.

"Let me see," Kate pretended to think about it carefully. "My black sandals, or my black shoes, with my black dress…hmmm." She tapped a finger on her chin, making Tara practically vibrate with impatience. "What look are you going for tonight? High class or low class hooker?"

"High class," Tara retorted, sticking out her tongue.

"Sandals," Kate decided, taking her shoes and heading towards her own room. She paused and turned back to her sister. "Tara, who are you going out with?"

"With Gary," Tara answered, carefully applying lip-gloss in the hall mirror. "I told you about him, remember."

"No."

"He's an intern at-I did tell you, Katie. You just didn't listen. Your head was in some murder or other." Tara dismissed her with a wave. "We've been seeing each other on and off."

"Oh," Kate said, the light in her head blinking on. "That Gary. Are you sure you don't want me to run him?"

"Katelyn Anne Kennedy," Tara was horrified. "You are absolutely not running my date through the police search engine."

Kate was giggling as she turned on the shower. "Have fun. Love you anyway!"

"Yeah yeah, " Tara grumbled, but she was smiling. "Love you too."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

Flack knocked on Kate's door at seven. He heard footsteps inside and smiled as she opened the door. "Hey. You ready?"

"Not yet," she answered. "Give me a few minutes to get dressed and we can go."

Flack settled on the couch and looked at the wall of photos in front of him.

Kate and Tara were in all of them, arms around each other, smiling those same smiles. He found that after just over two months of knowing them that they were like chalk and cheese. He could tell them apart now with hardly any bother.

Kate was the serious one, he thought, looking at her in the one closest to him. She was hanging over Tara's shoulder and laughing at something the cameraman was saying. Tara, on the other hand, was the wild one. She was the one who acted before she thought and was fiercely protective of her "little sister". She'd told Flack off severely for the various marks on her sister's body, leaving him thoroughly chastised. Even though he hadn't been present for all of them, he'd felt guilty as hell.

"You ready?"

Kate stepped out of the bedroom, and all thought of Tara flew out of his head. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, and a simple navy vest. A cream belt with a sparkly buckle and cream shoes completed the ensemble. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back.

Flack ordered himself to stop staring and managed to form a sentence. "You look nice."

"Thanks," she replied with a self-conscious smile. "I don't get out much. Tara's the social butterfly."

"I bet you get plenty attention yourself." He could have bitten his tongue as soon as he said it. "Danny is meeting us there. Lindsay is on call so apparently she's not drinking."

"Let's go," Kate agreed, picking up her jacket and following him out of the apartment.

At the bar, Hawkes and Adam were already sitting at the table, arguing with Kendall and Danny about some aspect of a case they were working on. The band was blasting out a version of U2's 'Bloody Sunday' and the place was packed with regulars.

Kate and Flack wound their way to the table and Kate gratefully occupied the chair Hawkes pulled up for her.

"You look great," Kendall told her. The other woman had clearly gotten over the black mood that had hung over her for the past few weeks. She was dressed to kill in a hot pink dress and silver shoes.

Flack and Danny headed to the bar to get drinks and the band struck up a version of 'Layla'. Kate moved her shoulders to the beat and smiled at Danny as he handed her a drink.

A movement at her left side made her turn to see her sister dragging over a tall, fair haired man with dark brown eyes to the table.

"Hi," Tara said, a little breathlessly. "Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Hawkes said pleasantly. "Please do."

Tara rolled her eyes as Hawkes and Gary began to talk about autopsy and various colleagues they had in common. "That's him for the night," she said, turning her attention to Adam. "Are you Danny?"

"That would be me," Danny interrupted her. "Danny Messer. This is Adam Ross."

"Lab tech?" When Adam nodded, Tara grinned at him. "I've heard about you."

The drinks flowed freely for another hour, before Tara announced that she knew the band lead singer.

"Oh God," Kate giggled, happily tipsy thanks to a couple of tequila. "You didn't sleep with him, did you?"

"No," scoffed Tara. She smiled at her. "That was the drummer!" Her eyes gleamed and she got off the chair. "Time to liven up this party, Katie."

"No," Kate groaned and tried to hide behind Flack. "No, Tara, no. Just…no!"

"What's she doing?" Danny asked, mystified, as Tara approached the lead singer with a flirtatious grin.

He was answered a few minutes later when the lead singer announced that the audience was in for a treat.

"What the hell?" Flack stared as Tara came back to the table and grabbed her sister by the hand.

"What are you doing?" Kate squeaked. "Where are you-oh no," She dug in her heels and winced as Tara gripped her hand and squeezed. "Ow! Ok, ok."

"What in the world are they doing up there?" Flack gawped at the two women clambering up onto the stage. He watched in amazement as Tara slung a guitar over her shoulder and turned to the drummer, saying something to him.

"Hi, guys," Lindsay greeted them with a smile and kissed Danny. "What are you all looking at-oh! Isn't that Kate?" Her smile widened as she listened to the music intro. "Oh wow," she gushed. "I love this song!" Onstage, Kate was moving her hips to the beat, enjoying herself. Catching her sister's eye, she grinned and launched into Carrie Underwood's 'Before He Cheats'.

"Wow," Danny managed as Kate's voice rose with the music. "Flack, man, did you know they could do that?"

"Nope." Flack was clearly dumbfounded. "I had no idea. That song blares out of their apartment a lot. They seem to like country music, but I had no idea they could sing."

"Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats," Lindsay warbled along with them, happily bopping in her seat.

They finished up to raucous applause and catcalls. Flushed and grinning from ear to ear, Kate signalled to Tara who immediately began to play the intro to 'Alone'.

"Heart never looked like that," Danny muttered to Flack, putting his fingers in his mouth and whistling loudly.

Flack had to agree. He applauded along with the rest of them as Kate and Tara sat down, laughing at the stunned expression on their faces.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Lindsay demanded. "That was amazing!"

"Nice job," Flack said softly to Kate. "You're really good, you know that?"

"Thanks," she said shyly. "I love to sing. We've been singing and playing since we were six."

"Shows," Flack said admiringly. He turned to look at her fully. "What other secrets do you have in there, Detective?"

Kate felt her face grow hot under the stare of those bright blue eyes. "Nothing, really," she managed. "Just that I play piano too."

"Nice," Flack murmured. "I'd like to hear that."

It's the alcohol, Kate reminded herself, desperately trying not to be affected by the man in front of her. He's a colleague. Get a hold of yourself. Stop it, stop it, stop it.

"I have to go," she said jerkily, getting to her feet. "Need another drink."

It took four more for her to relax. At that stage, Gary and Tara had left, the latter saying that she would crash at his place and not to wait up. Lindsay was helping her husband to his feet, laughing at his drunken ramblings. Adam and Kendall had disappeared to God only knew where and Kate's world was shimmering nicely through a haze of alcohol.

Flack got to his feet when Kate stood up and announced that she was going to head home. "I'll walk with you."

After bidding the rest of the group goodnight, they left for home. Kate kept up a steady stream of chatter as she trotted along beside him. Wasn't the band great? Weren't Adam and Kendall so cute together? Did Flack think that they were an item?

"You don't have to walk me the whole way," Kate said to him as he matched his long strides to her shorter one.

"I don't mind," he replied dryly. "Seeing as how I live there and all."

"I think I'm a little drunk," Kate giggled at a junkie who was singing off key to raise funds for a hit. "I haven't had so much fun in ages."

"Tara looks like she likes that guy," Flack commented as they turned the corner towards the apartment complex. "How long has she been dating him."

"That's Gary the Brain Surgeon wannabe," Kate announced. "He's boring. I think he'd suit me better than Tara."

"What?" Flack stared at her. "Why?"

"Cos I'm boring," she declared, digging in her bag for keys. "Flack?"

"Yes?"

"How come you're not drunk? Do you have a high alcohol tolerance?"

He took her keys from her and inserted them into the lock. "Home sweet home."

"I'm tired," Kate immediately said, flopping onto the couch and kicking off her shoes. The room was spinning around.She closed her eyes and groaned. "Where's Tara?"

"Not home," Flack reminded her. "She's staying with the brain surgeon wannabe."

"Sleepy," Kate mumbled into the throw pillow. "You sleepy?"

"I'll see you tomorrow," Flack was amused at her ability to just sleep on that old sofa. "Will you be ok?"

"Flack?" Kate held out her hand. "You're my friend? You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

He perched on the edge of the coffee table. "No, Kate. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Do you like Tara?" Kate asked him,out of nowhere. Her voice was drowsy." Do you want to date her?"

Flack almost swallowed his tongue. "Are you insane?"

She smiled sleepily. "Men always want to date Tara. They think she's hot."

"I don't want to date Tara," Flack interrupted, horrified at the thought.

Kate smiled up at him and suddenly rose up off the couch enough to kiss him square on the mouth. "That's good. I'm glad you don't want to date her." She flopped back down and sighed, turning her head to one side and falling into a deep sleep.

Flack was left wondering if he'd fallen down a rabbit hole. Scratching his head, he looked at the sleeping woman on the couch. He grabbed a blanket from the other sofa and gently draped it over Kate's still form.

She looked like a child in sleep, despite the makeup and the mascara. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. She stirred but didn't wake.

"Night, Irish," he whispered before letting himself out and into his own apartment.

_A/N. I was really tired when I wrote this one. I was after a night out of similar proportions myself. I didn't have a sexy detective to tuck me in and I was sober too. Poor me._

_I hope you still like it. Back to basics in the next chapter. And also, if you could tell me which parts ye like and which need work I'd be really grateful!_


	6. Flying Solo?

"Katie. Kaaaayyy Teeeee..." The singsong voice made Kate groan weakly and flapped her hands at the person in front of her.

Tara stood, grinning down at her, looking refreshed and clean after her shower. Not a hair out of place, Kate thought in disgust as she cautiously opened her other eye and looked around the living room.

"You slept there last night," Tara informed her with another of her trademark 'I-so-know-what's-going-through-your-mind-right-now' looks.

"You didn't sleep here last night," Kate accused, pushing herself up to make room for her sister.

"Nope." Tara's smile was lazy and contented. "I did not."

"Ok, now I'm jealous."

"Don't be, little sister," Tara replied. "Some day you, too, will be fully grown and-"

The doorbell ringing cut her off.

"Answer that, would you?" Kate ordered, struggling off the couch and going to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. "I need caffeine."

"Hey, look at this!"

Kate turned and stared at a walking bunch of roses. Shaking her head, she looked again and realized that said walking bunch of roses was her sister. Tara was holding what was the biggest bunch of the pink blooms she'd ever seen outside of a rose garden. "Who sent you flowers? "

"Nobody," Tara answered, sounding puzzled. "They're for you."

"Give," Kate demanded, holding her hand out for the card Tara was waving at her. "For everything you've done." She looked up at Tara, who was peering out from around the flowers. "What does that mean? "

"Sounds like you've got yourself some kind of admirer," Tara teased. "Get these in water. We're going shopping."

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Several hours later, as Tara tried on the seventeenth dress for the upcoming charity ball she was attending, Kate was starting to get impatient. This day off business was quickly getting old. Her cell chirped and she pulled it out of her pocket.

"Kennedy."

"Hello, Kennedy." The cheerful voice of Deanna Grayson came through the phone and Kate's face lit up in the first genuine smile she'd had all day.

"Dee! How are you!" Kate motioned to Tara, who had come out of the dressing room and was smiling at the mention of their friend.

"Great," Deanna replied. "Actually, I've got news. I've been offered a job in the pediatric unit at Queen of Mercy. The need a new head of nursing staff there and I got it."

"Fantastic!" Kate exclaimed. "You can stay with us for a while. We have the spare room and Tara will clean it out this week because she has three days off."

Tara was nodding enthusiastically and hopped from foot to foot in excitement.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Dee admitted. "I'll let you know when the details roll in."

After chatting to both twins for another few minutes, Dee hung up with the promise to fly to New York in two weeks when she had to meet her new staff.

Kate replaced her cell in her bag and trudged after Tara to the till to pay for the dress. Almost immediately, it rang again. Kate looked at the number and swore.

"Kennedy."

"Kate, it's Mac."

"Hey, boss," Kate did her best to sound cheerful, although she was desperately hoping not to be called in.

"Sorry," Mac said, as if reading her thoughts. "Lindsay's mother has had some sort of accident. She's had to fly to Montana and see her."

"Where do you need me," Kate asked immediately, signaling to Tara, who rolled her eyes and snapped the curtain of the dressing room shut.

"I'll need you to take over Lindsay's work, and some of her shifts until she gets back." Mac sounded regretful. "Starting now, if it's possible."

"I'm shopping with my sister, " Kate said, waving Tara towards the cash register. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Go straight to the lab," Mac told her. "I'll have a uniform take you to the scene that Lindsay had to leave."

Kate hung up and turned to her sister. "Sorry."

"Go on," Tara waved her off. "I'll take your stuff home."

With her customary hug, Kate set off to hail a cab to take her back to work.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The victim was lying in one of the public toilets in Central Park. Kate arrived to see Flack clearing the scene and taking statements from various other people in the area.

"Down there," Bosco pointed out, not bothering to hide the fact that he was checking her out.

With a roll of her eyes, Kate took her kit and camera and headed down to where a young, well-dressed woman was sprawled across the tiled ground. Blood oozed from a cut on her temple and her handbag was lying on the ground beside her lifeless body.

Kate immediately began snapping pictures of the victim.

"Flying solo today, Irish?" Flack asked as he came into the little room. He grinned as she shot him a murderous glare. "What, no singing while you work?"

"It's whistle while you work," Kate muttered, flushing. "And you're a jerk to remind me that I was drunk and –"

"Entertained a bar," Flack said with a smirk. "Men hanging off your every note, tongues hanging out." He gave a low whistle. "It was quite the show."

"DO you think," Kate said, between gritted teeth," that you could tell me who and what I'm dealing with here?" She forced herself to be calm. The man was a royal pain in the ass, but she was a Kennedy.

Kennedys rose above such things.

Flack held up a driver's license. "Took this from her bag." At Kate's squeak, he rolled his eyes. "I used gloves, Irish. Breathe. Now, as I was saying, I took this from her bag. Sandra Lopez. Nineteen years old. "

"Damn," Kate whispered, looking at the pretty young woman on the ground. "She's only a kid. How come I always get the kids or the damn mob murders?"

"Because you're Irish," Flack teased. "Tough is your middle name."

"The case, Flack. The victim."

"Right. I just talked to a couple of her friends. They were the ones who called EMS."

Kate straightened up. "I need to talk to them too."

She approached the group of young women with strollers, wondering what on earth they were all doing with kids at their age.

"Hi," She said, holding up her badge. "I'm Detective Kennedy, with the New York Crime Lab, I need to ask you ladies some questions. "

"We talked to that other detective already," one of them, an Asian American girl with a shock of black hair, said defensively.  
"Well now I need to confirm," Kate stated firmly. How did you know Sandra Lopez?"

"We're all nannies," her companion chimed in. "We meet up for lunch every day at noon while the kids play."

"Sandy asked us to watch the baby for her while she went to the bathroom," the first girl, who Kate identified as Wendy Summers, added.

"Whom did she work for?" Kate asked, taking notes as she listened.

"Roland and Raquel Masterson," Wendy answered. "They're big in the antique world."

Just then, the baby in the stroller began to cry. Loudly.  
"I need to get her home," Wendy said. "Do you need anything else?"

"No," Kate answered, wondering where the baby Sandra Lopez took care of was. "We'll get in touch if we do."

Turning to Flack, who'd been listening, she asked where the baby was.

He nodded to the stout woman who was cradling the small-blanketed bundle in her arms. "That's her. Child Services will take her until we can contact the parents."

Kate was outraged. "Don't they know already?"

"Nope," Flack answered. "They have a nanny, Kate. That means they probably forget birthdays and Christmas presents and you can guarantee that they'll never see a recital or take in their kid's football games."

"Not all parents are like that," Kate argued. "Some have nannies because they can't take time out twenty-four seven to-" She stopped herself. "Never mind. Forget it."

"They'll take her to Queen of Mercy," Flack told her. "Just to check her out. "

"I need to process her," Kate said. "I hate this part."

"You hate babies?" Flack was shocked.

"No, idiot. I don't like having to process them. Babies wriggle. And spit. It destroys evidence," Kate explained.

"Women," was Flack's only response.

At the hospital, Serena Meyers, the representative for Child Services, met Kate.

"How's Baby doing?" she asked, looking at the little girl in the plastic bassinet. "She ok?"

"Daniella is fine," The woman answered with a fond smile. "She's a happy little bunny!"

"She sure is," Kate agreed as the baby gave her a gummy smile and gurgled happily. "Any idea when she'll be released?"

"When the parents arrive," The woman's voice was disdainful. At Kate's astonished look she smiled thinly. "These people are on their own time. And half of that they tend to forget they have a child."

Kate looked down at the baby. " I need to do a basic exam. It won't hurt her, and it shouldn't take long." She smiled down at Daniella. "We'll be quick, won't we, sweetie?"

Flack, who had accompanied her to the hospital, rolled his eyes at her tone.

"Take your time," Serena said, leaving her to it.

"Let's look at you," Kate cooed to the baby. "Hello, Daniella. Let's look at you!" She kept up a steady stream of chatter as she removed the baby's clothes and gently set her back into the bassinet. Avoiding the flailing limbs, she snapped several pictures and smiled as Serena came back into the room.

"Everything ok"?

"Perfect, " Kate said with a smile. "She's great."

Flack followed her as she left the room. "You're a sap, Kennedy."

"What do you mean?"

"You went all female and mushy over a baby," Flack accused. He was laughing as she ploughed her elbow into his stomach. "Ow!"

"You deserved it," she said. "I've got to get to Autopsy. Sid may have something for me. Like COD, perhaps. Then you can go be all Macho Detective and maybe do some solid work!"

Flack was still laughing as she got into Lindsay's jeep and headed for the lab.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sid Hammerback was a force to be reckoned with. A silver haired man with a strange sense of humor, he was highly respected in the Coroner's office and had trained Hawkes before he left the ME's office to work in the field.

When Kate got to the morgue, he was sliding a body into the cooler with one hip, reading a report while doing so.

"Nice move," she greeted him with a smile.

"Thank you, Miss Kennedy. I presume you're here for your autopsy report?"

When Kate nodded, he opened another door and pulled out the body of Sandra Lopez. "Voila."

"That's the body, Sid, " Kate joked. "I saw that already!"

"Your Nanny, " Sid said patiently, "was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. Judging from the trace I pulled from her head, she was killed by a rock."

"A rock?"

"A rock," Sid repeated. "And one with a sharp edge at that. Also, she has singed nasal hairs and throat. Sexual assault kit was positive, by the way." He handed her a report. "No name in the system, though."

"Damn," Kate sighed. "Looks like I'm taking another walk in the park. Thanks, Sid."

"Go get em," he called as she left the morgue.

Pulling out her cell, Kate dialed Flack.  
"Flack," he answered after the second ring,

"It's Kate," she said. She quickly filled him in on the autopsy results. "I need to head back to the park."

"I'll send one of the uniforms with you.

"Great. I'll get back to you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The butler did it," Flack announced as he came into the office where Kate was poring over the trace results from her earlier trip to the park.

"Excuse me?"

He grinned and wagged his eyebrows at her. "Always wanted to say that."

"I see you have reached a mental age of six and a half now, " Kate said dryly. "However, in the interest of child development, please elaborate." She sat back and waited expectantly.

"There's a butler," Flack said. "At the Masterson's house in Manhattan, where they stay when they're home." He paused, looked at her, obviously waiting. When she didn't say anything, he blew out an exasperated breath. "Kate, the maid and/or nanny always sleeps with the butler."

"In the movies, Flack," Kate began to laugh. "Not in real life!" She sobered up as she looked at the pictures of the victim. "WE need to wrap this one. I have three more of Lindsay's open case files to complete and trace to finish on another one."

"Hey," Flack shrugged. "You chose to be a lab rat."

"Flack," Kate ground out, closing her eyes. "The butler. Think we should interview him?"

"Couldn't hurt."

The butler turned out to be a middle-aged man with hair that was obviously dyed brown.

"Have you worked for the Mastersons for long?" Kate asked him as they stood in the sitting room.

"Since Daniella was born," he explained in his clipped accent. "About seven months now. They're not in town at the moment."  
"Where are they?" Flack asked immediately.

"I'm not permitted to say. The Mastersons are very private people. They don't like to have any publicity surrounding the family, especially since the robbery."

"What robbery?" Kate eyeballed the butler.

"I'm not permitted to say, Ma'am."

"Was anything taken?"

"That nesting doll," he replied, pointing to a glass case. "It was later returned."

"Anything with it?"

"I'm not-"  
"Permitted to say," Kate finished. "I get it. But hear this, Jeeves-"  
"Randall," he corrected with a grimace.

"Whatever." Kate dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "I need to process that doll thing. Any objections?"

"None, Ma'am." The butler was clearly uncomfortable.

"Can you tell us anything else about Sandra?" Flack asked him. "Who she hung out with, that kind of thing."

"There was a young man," Randall said slowly. "A bartender, I think. Dodgy character, if you ask me." He named off a popular bar down town. "Try him there."

"Thanks," Kate said sweetly. "We'll be in touch. Bye, Alfred!"

Flack waited until they were outside the building before he leaned against it and laughed until he couldn't breathe. "Jeeves," he gasped. "Did you see his face?"

Kate was laughing herself. "I always wanted to meet a real live butler," she declared between snorts of laughter.

"Alfred," Flack cracked up all over again.

"Let's head to meet bartender guy," Kate said, looking at her watch. This shift was over two hours ago. I'm tired."

Flack followed her to the Jeep. "Alfred, " he muttered, shaking his head. "Trust the Irish!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The bar Randall had mentioned was full of people and dancing women. They were gyrating on tables and waving flame tipped sticks around.

"Eyes in your head," Kate said sweetly to Flack, who elbowed her.

"Shut up."

Approaching the bar, Kate looked at the young man serving drinks to a blonde woman who was spilling out over her dress. "Eyes," she muttered to Flack.

"Shut up."

"Steve Darke?" Kate asked him.

He smirked. "Name says it all, baby."

Kate smiled at him and held up her badge. "Same here, pal. Now let's find someplace quiet to talk."

He followed her over to the far end of the bar and looked at her expectantly.

"Sandra Lopez," Kate didn't waste any time. "Do you know her?" She passed a picture of the dead woman across the counter.

"Depends," he said with a leery grin at her. "Do all cops come in sexy little packages like you"?

"Hey," Flack said, cuffing him on the side of the head. "Little respect for the lady. Answer the question."

"All look the same to me," Steve answered. "Like meat on a platter at the end of the day."

"This particular meat on a platter was murdered," Kate said hotly. "Now answer the damn question or I'll have Detective Flack here arrest you for lewd conduct towards an officer."

"Thought you were a cop," Steve said in a sullen voice. He didn't look or sound so confident now, Kate thought with a great sense of satisfaction.

She smiled widely at him. "Oh I am a cop. And a damn good one." She tilted her head towards the glowering Flack and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Steve. "He's just meaner than I am.

Flack saw to his delight that Steve eyed him warily. Good. Let the little asshole suffer.

"Any idea who would have wanted to harm Sandra Lopez?" Kate asked him the same question she'd asked Randall the butler.

"I got nothing for you." He looked at her, and then looked away.

"Look," Kate said hotly, her temper beginning to fray. "Sandra Lopez was raped and murdered by blunt force trauma to the head. She was a kid. Now are you going to tell me what you know or not."

She nodded in approval as Steve told her about the incident at the bar when Sandra had tried to copy one of the fire-eaters. HE recalled the way she had almost been burned in the face with some glee.

"Play with fire, you get burned."

"That's it," Flack growled. "Give the Detective your hands, Casanova, and let's get out of here." He looked around and shook his head. "This place creeps me out."

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Kate compared the prints collected from Steve Dark with the ones she'd found at the scene and cursed.

"Nice language from a lady," Hawkes said with a chuckle. "What have you got there?"

Kate quickly filled him in on all the major points and showed him the evidence so far. She finished with a description of the way the Mastersons hadn't even come to claim their daughter.

"That's cold," Hawkes said in disgust. "That's really cold."

"Some people don't deserve to have a child," Kate said fiercely, turning to study her evidence again.

"Hey," Flack said, coming into the lab. He looked like he could do with about twenty eight hours sleep. "Anything new?"

"No," Kate sighed. "I've got nothing." She looked at the pictures again, frustration etched on her face. "Something about this nanny isn't right, Flack. She just doesn't…fit!"

"Then start at the beginning again," he suggested with a yawn. "Tomorrow. I'm beat. And I'm off shift. You are too," he added with a pointed look. "Tomorrow, we'll get going again."

Kate blew her hair out of her eyes. "Ok." She looked down once more to satisfy herself that she hadn't missed anything. "Ok. I'll ask Sid for her prints. Maybe she's in the system. I'll just go and-"

"Tomorrow," Flack said firmly, taking her arm in one hand and her bag in the other. "Home, Irish."

"Ok, ok, ok." She glared at him, but there was no anger in it. "Bully."

"You got that right."

A/n Sorry I cut it off so suddenly, but I'm wrecked I can't keep awake! Chapter 7 is on the way soon I promise!


	7. Say Sorry

**A/n To those of you who reviewed, thank you. For anyone who liked this, I am so glad. I love to write, and to write something people actually read is such a huge bonus. I do appreciate it.**

**Aphina: Glad you liked it, that was one of my fave eps too. Such a cute baby!**

**Madison Bellows: Bosco was one of my fave characters in Third Watch. He'll be making more appearances for sure!**

**Shane Vanson: Glad to see you're still enjoying it. Thanks for the compliments! Watch this space for more on those roses!**

**Dol: Sorry about you not getting any work done! But you love me anyway!**

**Brown Eyed Girl 75: More Bosco coming up just for you!**

**laplandgurl: Thanks for checking in! Appreciate the review!**

**Justicerocks: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**Ok guys, here goes! I've got a weeks holidays so I'll be hopefully updating regularly!**

**Chapter 7. Say Sorry.**

Tomorrow came all too quickly, Kate thought as she rubbed eyes bleary from trawling through DNA and fingerprints from Lindsay's cases. She yawned, stretched her back out. The prints from Steve Dark were clean as new snow. He had no record, nothing to indicate that he had anything to do with Sandra Lopez's demise. Kate's gut told her that he hadn't done it. A pain in the ass he might be, but he was no murderer.

Flack had suggested that maybe the butler _had_ done it, earning himself a scornful glare from Kate. Further interviews with Wendy Summers and her friend Jesmi Kiri had proven inconclusive. Neither of them had any idea who had hurt Sandy. She'd been a sweet girl, devoted to Daniella and apparently the only time she'd ever really let her hair down was when she'd gone and tired to eat fire at the Dark Bar.

"Something's just not right," Kate said to Stella, who had joined her in the break room. It was eleven am, and the day had not started well.

"Did you take prints from the victim?" Stella asked.

"No." Kate looked at the other woman. Stella's eyes were red, as if she'd been crying. She was pale and tired looking. "Stell? Are you ok?"

Stella nodded at her and smiled tiredly. "Flynn called late last night. He won't be coming home for another four weeks." Tears welled in her eyes. "I guess I miss him."

"How long has he been away?"

"For six months," Stella said. "He's supposed to be home since last week, but his orders came through and they were to stay put." She sighed. "I knew when I married him that the life of an Army Wife isn't easy."

"He's a Marine, isn't he?" Kate remembered someone saying that Stella's husband was in the Marine Corps. "They have it tough out there, Stella." She smiled. "I dated a naval officer when I was in Chicago. It was the uniform, I think. Those dress whites." She made a humming sound in her throat. "They really do it for me."

Stella smiled at that. "When I met Flynn he was a suspect in a homicide Flack was investigating. He and Mac threatened to arrest him if he didn't cooperate." She sipped her coffee, remembering. "When he was finally cleared as a suspect, he asked me out. Mac was dead set against it."

"Why didn't you listen to him?" Kate asked.

Stella considered before answering. "Because he didn't want me to date anyone. I had an...experience with an ex." Her eyes darkened as she remembered shooting Frankie. "He got a little violent and tied me up. So I shot him."

Kate was taken aback. "Wow. That's tough. How did you get through that? "

"With the help of some great friends," Stella said, her eyes going to Danny and Mac who were standing outside the room, deep in conversation. "And I'm tougher than I look."

Kate got to her feet when Stella did. "Stella, if you want to talk, I'm here. Or if you want a girls night out, Tara and I are always willing to oblige."

"Thanks, kiddo," Stella said. She attempted a watery smile. "I'll be ok." She rinsed her mug and stuck it in the dishwasher. As she went to leave, she turned back. "Kate? Run the victim's DNA and prints. It might help."  
"Thanks, Stella." Kate watched her leave before picking up her files and heading to autopsy. It would be a start, she reasoned as she punched the button for the basement.

A start was always good.

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"Find anything?" Adam stuck his head around the door and smiled shyly at her. "From your vic, I mean."

"Tell you in a second, " Kate replied, tapping furiously on her keyboard. Her eyes lit up as the machine beeped once. "She's a thief!"

"She's what?"

"Her print came up in an open theft case. No name, though." Kate frowned, puzzled. "I've got an address, though. 7071 Park Avenue. " She grinned at Adam. "I love when things come together."

"What's coming together?" Flack asked as he knocked on the door. "Got anything that we need to check out?"

Kate rapidly filled him in on her latest findings as she clipped her gun to her belt and picked up her badge.

"So Mary Poppins has light fingers," Flack mused. He smirked at Kate. "Still think the butler did it."

"You seriously need to get out more," Kate told him. She was laughing at his face when they got into the cruiser to head down Park Avenue.

"You want to take this?" Flack asked her as she knocked on the door. "You've been lucky so far."

Kate was just about to answer him when the door opened and Wendy Summers appeared.

"Can I help you?" she asked, panic flaring briefly in her eyes.

"Miss Summers," Kate greeted her pleasantly. "How nice to see you." She indicated to the girl to turn around. "Let's you and me and Detective Flack here take a little cruise downtown."

Wendy was silent all the way to the five five. When they got back, Kate hopped out and opened the door. "Let's go inside, Ms Summers."

"You can't keep me here," Wendy said shrilly. "I know my rights."

"Officer Boscorelli here is going to sit with you," Kate told her with a smile for Bosco who scowled at the woman in his custody. "Don't worry, he's a pussycat."

A snort from behind her made her turn to see Faith Yokas struggling not to laugh as she observed Bosco's outrage.

"Miaow," Davis muttered under his breath. "Kitty want some milk?"

"You've ruined his street cred," Flack informed her as he signed the arrest report. "He'll never forgive you now."

"He loves me," Kate argued. "He's always asking me out."  
Flack stopped dead. "He's what? "

"Asking me out."

"I'll have him riding a desk for the rest of his natural life," Flack was muttering under his breath. "He should know better."

"Than to what?" Kate whirled to face him, outraged. "Ask me out? Why, Flack? Would Tara be more his type too?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Flack was baffled. He had only meant that Bosco shouldn't be hitting on the Lab staff, but Kate had obviously taken it to heart. "Kate, what in the hell are you talking about?"

"Why shouldn't' Bosco ask me out?" Kate continued as if he hadn't spoken. "He's cute and funny and we have a lot in common, and-"

"You and Bosco have a lot in common?" Flack asked, disbelief written all over his face. "You and Boscorelli?"

"It's none of your business that I date," Kate shot back at him. "We have a suspect to interrogate."

"This ain't over," Flack was far from pacified. "We'll finish this later on."

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"Sandra Lopez's prints were found at the scene of the robbery at your employer's residence some time ago," Kate began, sitting down in front of Wendy Summers. "Can you tell me how that might have happened?"

"Nobody is ever allowed in the master room," Wendy stated. "But a while before the robbery, Sandy and I were in the closet, trying on some of the jewelry in it." She looked down at her hands. "We wanted to dream a little of what it would be like to be rich." She looked at her hands for a minute, then up at Kate again.

"Did Ms Lopez take anything from your employer's house?" Flack felt he had been good cop long enough. He leaned forward towards Wendy. "Don't lie about this, Ms Summers. Detective Kennedy here doesn't like liars."

Kate refrained from throttling him. Taking a deep breath and promising herself she would talk to him after the interrogation, she continued to question Wendy.

"Robbery said that a ten carat sapphire necklace was taken, do you know anything about that? "

"I told you, the help wasn't allowed near the master bedroom, and we never did. Except for that one time." Wendy was getting worked up. "What would I do with the damn heart of the ocean necklace? Do I look like Kate Winslet?"

"Let's see what kind of actress you really are," Kate answered grimly before gathering up her evidence and looking at the uniformed officer in the corner of the room. "Hold her here. I've got work to do."

"Kate, wait a minute," Flack called as she stalked down the corridor and shoved the door of the bullpen open. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Will you just wait?"

"Let go," Kate said slowly and carefully. "Of my arm. I've got work to do. Marin!" She wrenched herself free of Flack's hold and approached the officer that had taken Wendy's fingerprints. "Thanks. I'm going to run them now and see what we get."

"Kate, I-"

"Don't." She cut him off with a glare and a wave of her hand. "Just don't." She started to walk away and turned around again. "I've got a date with Bosco on Friday night. Just so you know. Deal with it." She stomped away, leaving Flack speechless and fuming behind her.

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"I think that' I've found something," Kate announced to Adam. Her earlier black mood hadn't lifted and she was still fuming with Flack for commenting on her personal life.

He didn't comment, as such, her inner angel told her. He didn't mean to upset you.

He had no right to scoff at Bosco, she fumed. Just because he didn't want to date her-whoa. Where the hell had that come from?

"Kate?" Adam tentatively handed her the results of Wendy Summers' fingerprint test. "Are you ok?" When she looked at him in surprise, he rushed on. "It's only because you look like you want to eat that piece of paper. Kendall was like that a few days ago too, and it turned out she was having man trouble so if you're having man trouble, that's so none of my business and-"

"Adam. Breathe. In. Out. Good. Now." She fixed him with a pointed look. "Men are not my priority here. Can we stick to the case?" When he looked crestfallen, she sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry. I'm sorry. Not your fault. Sorry."

"The prints," Adam explained, relieved. "They came back to yet another thief." He pointed to the list in her hand. "Look for yourself."

Kate hopped off her stool, triumph in her eyes. "Gotcha! Adam." She turned, planted a kiss on his cheek. "You are a prince among men."

He blushed beet red. "Well, thanks. That's really nice of you."

"Gotta go," Kate said, waving her evidence at him. She pointed at him. "Prince." Then she was gone out of the door like a whirlwind, pulling out her cell and dialing Flack.

"It's the friend," she announced into the phone as he answered. "I'm taking Yokas and we'll pick her up."

"You can't just pick officers out of a line-Kate? Hello?" Flack was left staring at the phone in his hand when she hung up.

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"Wendy Summer's prints were found at your employer's address, " Kate said brightly to the young woman in front of her.

"I don't know anything about that," Jesmi Kiri said defiantly. "I don't want any trouble, lady." She twirled one of her dark pigtails lazily. "I'm on a working visa from India. I'm new to this country."

"I understand," Kate said quietly. "But I'm still going to need your prints."

Realization dawned. "I want a lawyer," Jesmi announced. "The embassy told me that if I run into any trouble to ask for a lawyer."

"Do you think you're in trouble?" Kate pretended to be surprised.

Jesmi began to sob loudly. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted to be able to work and earn money to send home."

Kate listened as she swiftly took the required prints." So what happened?" She pressed the fingers of the girl's right hand onto the paper in front of her. "Tell me what happened, Jesmi."

"I want a lawyer," Jesmi repeated.

"She's got a right to that." Flack had slipped into the room without Kate noticing. His eyes were bright with anger as he looked at her and motioned her to follow him out of the room.

"What the _hell _are you playing at?" he demanded in a furious whisper. "What is this? You interrogate a suspect in _my_ homicide case without even letting me know that you're picking her up, and then-"  
"I'm a damn cop, Flack," Kate raged at him.

"Not here, you're not," he shouted back, beyond caring who heard him. "You're a CSI. Just because you had a badge before doesn't mean that you can just waltz in here and-"

"Shut up," Kate had had enough. She jabbed a finger in his stomach. "Just shut up and let me do my job so we can go home." Tears burned in the back of her eyes, but she forced them back. "Just stay out of my way, Flack."

"Not a problem, once we wrap this case."

She walked away from him, heart pounding. One tear slipped down her cheek. Wiping it away, she left the precinct to head back to the lab.

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"You ok?" Stella took one look at Kate and put her hand out to stop her. The temper was radiating from the younger CSI. Her eyes were bright green and sizzling with anger.

"Flack," Kate burst out. "He's an idiot."

Stella raised her eyebrows and waited for her to continue.

"I mean, he's cute and everything," Kate went on before turning red and clapping a hand to her mouth. "But seriously. He tells me that I shouldn't date Bosco, that Bosco should know better than to ask me out-"

"He said that?" Stella asked in amazement. "Flack actually said that?"

"Not in those exact words," Kate admitted. "I told him that Bos was always asking me out and Flack said that he should know better." She waited for Stella's reaction. "What's wrong with me?"

"Don't you think," Stella said, carefully choosing her words, "that Flack was concerned for you? I mean, Bosco?" When Kate didn't answer, she continued. "Bosco doesn't have the best rep, Kate. He slept with Sergeant Harris's daughter. In a rig," she added with a shudder. "Outside the police house."

"Oh God," Kate dropped her head in her hands. "Stella, I agreed to go out with him."

Stella burst out laughing. "Is that because Don told you not to?"

Kate groaned weakly and peeked out between her fingers. "Don't. It's not funny."

Stella sobered up. "Kate, just be careful with Bosco. He's a great guy. And a fine cop. He's even a good friend. " She smiled. "He's just not boyfriend material."

"I don't want a boyfriend," Kate shot back. "Men are too much trouble." Something flitted across her face.

"There's more to this one, isn't there?" Stella asked gently.

"There was this boy," Kate sighed. "In college. He was always asking me out." She laughed shortly. "Turned out he wanted to get to Tara. He used me."

"I'm sorry," Stella said quietly. "That sucks. But you can't just think that they'll all be like that. Don isn't like that.

"He'll be really mad at me," Kate said glumly. "I really tore him a new one in the station."

"He's a big boy," Stella assured her. "He'll get over it."

"Knock knock," Adam greeted them with a smile. "I've got something for you." He held up the Russian nesting dolls that Kate had extracted from the Masterson's house. "Print results are in."

"It was Jesmi." Kate looked over the results quickly. "We got her."

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"Flack," Kate called as she spied the tall figure leaving the police station. She'd finished interrogating Jesmi almost twenty minutes ago and had been waiting for Flack to finish. The young woman had confessed to the killing of Sandra Lopez.

When Sandra had threatened to call a halt to the little theft ring that the nannies had been running, Jesmi had seen red and hit her with a rock. Kate shook her head at the thought of the three of them pawning items stolen from their employers. What would people think of next?

"What?" Flack looked down at her. She'd changed into sneakers and jogging bottoms and looked very small and very young.

"I wanted to apologize," Kate said immediately. "I was way out of line."

"Yeah, you were."

"I'm sorry," she said sharply. Taking a deep breath, she offered him a smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off at you."

"I was only looking out for you," Flack said stiffly. "Bosco isn't the type of guy you should be dating. You or Tara," he added emphatically.

"I know," Kate said miserably. "I know. But I like him, Don. He's funny. Cute. Makes me laugh. It's a good start, right?"

His eyebrows went up at the use of his first name. "He's a good cop, Kate. And he's a good guy. Just be careful is all."

"I will," she replied. "Flack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm heading to see Daniella. Her parents are coming to pick her up today. I want to talk to them."

Flack considered a moment. "Want me to go with you?"

When she nodded, he finally cracked a smile. "You're a sap, Kennedy."

"I know."

He threw an arm around her shoulders and followed her to the underground.

"I didn't mean it," she confessed.

"Didn't mean what?" He took the seat next to her and surveyed her, puzzled.

"When I called you an ass. And an idiot."

"You didn't," Flack recalled. "You were pretty mad, though. Your Irish was up in a big way."

"I did," Kate admitted, turning pink. "I called you an ass. And an idiot. I'm pretty sure pig was in there too."

"Let me guess, "Flack said with a grin. "To Tara." When she nodded, he laughed. "That's ok. She already thinks all of those things."

"She doesn't," Kate corrected him. "She actually thinks you're nice."

"Colour me surprised," Flack said. He got up and extended a hand. "This is our stop."

Kate trudged into the hospital and headed towards the children's ward. A well-dressed man stood, talking to Serena Meyers. Beside him was a tall blonde, examining her nails and wearing an expression of boredom.

Kate and Flack slipped past them into the room. Daniella was lying in her crib, gurgling cheerfully.

"Hey, little one," Kate cooed, ignoring Flack's knowing look. "Remember me? It's Kate, remember?" She picked up the baby, snuggling her against her chest and making nonsensical sounds in her ear. "Aren't you so sweet?"

"She's a looker," Flack commented, reaching out a hand to skim it along the top of Daniella's little head. "My niece is about her age."

"You have nieces and nephews?" Kate craned her neck around Daniella and looked up at him.

"Yup," Flack answered, pulling a face at Daniella, who giggled happily at him. "Two of each."

"Excuse me." Serena stood at the entrance. She looked sympathetic. "It's time for Daniella to go home now."

Kate reluctantly handed her over the precious bundle in her arms. "Bye, Daniella," she said, feeling strangely bereft.

"You ok?" Flack asked her. "Want me to take the parents?"

"No," Kate shook her head. "But you could come with me." She looked up at him, wishing she weren't quite so small. She wouldn't feel so female around him. "I'd like if you'd come with me."

"Let's go," Flack said simply.

"You really are a nice guy," she murmured as they left the little room.

"Just don't tell anyone," he joked. "You'll ruin my street cred."

Kate's answer was an elbow to the gut.

**More soon, I promise. Keep reviewing please, I live for it!**


	8. Girl Talk and Roses

**I never knew when I started writing this that it would be so much fun and that I'd enjoy it so much. I'm loving every minute and having a great time creating Kate and the rest of her little world. **

**Again, I stress that I don't own CSI NY, or anything else that you recognize. I wish I owned Flack. I don't think my other half would appreciate it though. Oh well. A girl can dream.**

**Chapter 8. Girl talk and Roses. **

Kate stepped off the elevator to the sound of music blaring from her apartment. She winced and covered her ears as noise poured out of Flack's apartment seconds later. Just as she was about to go and see what the latest was about, Tara threw open the door of 4C and began hammering on the door of 4B.

Flack flung open his own door and glared at her. The two of them began to yell at each other.

Kate began to laugh. She couldn't help it. Tara looked so funny in an old, paint-spattered shirt with her hair bundled up on her head, yelling at Flack, who was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt.

"Then turn that crap off," Flack was hollering loudly.

"It's not as crappy as your so called music," Tara screeched back.

Because her sister's voice was rapidly approaching a level not even dogs could hear, Kate headed towards her house and quickly shut off Tara's stereo. Neither of them noticed. Rolling her eyes, she went outside the door to referee. Again.

"Hi." She elbowed her way between them and glared at them both. "Listen up. We may be the only people living on this floor. Ah!" She cut off Tara's attempt to interrupt with a slice of her hand. "But we have neighbors below us. With kids," she added, thinking of little Robbie Nelson downstairs in 3A. "They can't sleep with this racket."

"It's three o clock in the afternoon." Flack had had enough.

"Oh for God's sake," Kate said crossly. She ducked under Flack's arm into his apartment, heading to his bedroom where the stereo was doing a dance on the shelf. Flicking it off, she suddenly realized that she was standing in Flack's bedroom. She looked around at the unmade bed, the shirt thrown over the chair in the corner.

It smelled like him, she thought idly, taking in the cream walls and the dark brown bed linen. It was a masculine room. Several framed photos stood on the dresser. She wandered over to have a look. One at Danny and Lindsay's wedding showed Flack and Danny standing at the altar, grins on their faces. Another showed Flack standing next to a tall man in dress uniform that Kate recognized as Stella's husband, Flynn. Stella was standing between them, smiling at the camera.

Various other photos in collages were of Flack's family. The resemblance was strong. They all had the same bright blue eyes and dark hair.

"Like what you see, Kennedy?" Flack's voice startled her. He was standing in the doorway, lips curved into a smile.

"Sorry," Kate said quickly, flushing. "Are those your family?"

"Yup." He picked up the largest frame. "My sister, that's Emma," he pointed to a woman about Kate's age, who was hanging over his shoulder and laughing at the camera. "She gives me these every birthday and family occasion going the road. "That's my other sister, Julie, and my brother, Patrick."

"You look close," Kate said, observing the way they all looked so happy.

"We are," Flack said simply. He grinned suddenly. "Although we're reluctant to let anyone into that circle. Pat and I threatened to kneecap Emma's husband, Jack, when he got her pregnant."

"Weren't they married?" Kate asked curiously. "When he got her pregnant, I mean."

"They were," Flack answered with another broad grin. "He still had-"

"I get it," Kate interrupted with a giggle. "Little sister, innocence. Gone. Got it." She picked up a picture frame containing four dark haired children and raised her eyebrows at Flack. "Who are all these?"

"My love children," Flack joked. He sobered up at her pointed look." That's Declan, Emma's eldest. He's three. Next to him is Erin, his little sister. She's five months old now. Julie owns that little monster." He was pointing at a little boy with mischievous blue eyes and dirt across his face. "That's David. And that last one belongs to Patrick. He's a year since last week."

"I never knew you had such a big family."

"You never asked," Flack said quietly.

Kate looked up at him, suddenly aware that she was standing in his bedroom. "No. I guess I didn't."

Flack sighed. "Kate, I - "

"Flack, I think that -"

They stopped, laughed and looked at each other.

"You first," Kate said quickly.

"I think we got off to a bad start," Flack continued as if she hadn't said anything. "I insulted you, and I didn't mean to."

"You didn't insult me, Flack," Kate sighed. "I was just paranoid. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat." She laughed. "If it's any consolation, we had nothing but fun. He was a gentleman. Honestly!"

He had raised his eyebrows at that last part, but made no comment. "I think he's a good guy, Kate." He stopped, seeming to struggle with what came next. "But not for you."

"Let me decide that," Kate said gently, touching his arm. "I'm a big girl, Flack. And besides," she added with a laugh. "Tara would go through him if he hurt me."

"She'd have to get in line," Flack muttered, turning red as soon as he realized what he'd said." I mean - "

"That's sweet," Kate cut in. "That's really sweet. Thanks, Flack." She stood on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his cheek. At the last minute, he turned his head so she could look at her and she ended up pressing her lips to his.

Shocked, she pulled back, but he had a grip on her arm. She stared into his blue eyes, feeling her nerve ends tingle. He started to lean in again and jerked back when someone cleared their throat behind them.

"Sorry to interrupt," Tara said, a speculative gleam in her eye. "But Katie, Dee is here. We need help with those boxes she has."

"I'll be right there," Kate answered, forcing her voice to sound light and normal. Turning to face Flack again, she noted that his face was carefully blank, his eyes shuttered again. "I have to go."

"Okay," he agreed. "Let me know if you need help with those boxes."

"We do," Tara countered, sticking her head in the room again. "Make yourself useful, Detective."

"What's in it for me?"

"Pizza and beer," she called over her shoulder as she left the room. "With three hot women!"

"That'll do," Flack joked, heading out after her.

Kate followed them, wondering what on earth had come over her. And what the hell was she going to do with all these butterflies dancing around in her stomach?

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"So," Flack said as he sprawled across the sofa in Kate and Tara's living room. "You're the famous Deanna. The nurse? The one who kept Tara here on the straight and narrow?" He grinned and helped himself to another slice of pizza as Tara tossed a pillow at him.

"That's me." Deanna Grayson smiled at him and took a sip out of her glass of wine. "And you're the detective who nearly got Kate killed on her first day."

Flack rolled his eyes at Tara. "She tell you that?" When Dee simply smiled, he gave a long suffering sigh poked Kate with his foot. "You were the one standing next to the trash can."

"I was in no position to know that a revenge seeking Irishman was looking to avenge his lover's life," Kate protested. "I was an innocent victim."

Tara snorted. "You're not innocent, Katie. You're the sharpest person I know!"

"She has a temper to rival yours," Flack pointed out with a knowing look at Kate, who blushed. "She almost took my head in the station last week."

"You were being an ass," Kate replied sweetly. "Telling me not to date someone I had already accepted was not the way to go." She bit into her pizza and smiled at Deanna, who looked puzzled. "Never mind, Dee. We'll fill you in."

"How come you're here this week," Flack asked, taking a swig out of his bottle of beer. "Thought you weren't coming until next week." He gave Tara a mock glare. "See? I do pay attention."

"I finished up earlier than expected." Deanna sat back in her chair and curled her legs up under her. "I wanted to get here and moved in as soon as possible." She smiled at Tara. "You guys did a great job on my room. How did you finish it so fast?"

"I'll tell you how," Flack interjected. "They used me and Danny for slave labor."

"Don't forget Hawkes," Tara put in, pouncing on the last piece of pizza. "He was a great help."

"He's allergic to the paint you used," Flack said. "It gave him a rash."

"Poor Hawkes," Kate said. "He's a sweetie. And Brian was great too."

"Who's Brian?" Deanna wanted to know.

"A hunky fireman," Tara answered with a wicked grin. "He works in the firehouse near the station. He's really built." She sighed. "I do love my eye candy."

"That type would give you cavities," Kate joked. "There's a lot of that going around."

"Messer is cute," Tara mused, dodging the thump Kate aimed at her.

"Married," Flack reminded her.

"I didn't say I would go there," Tara said indignantly. "I said that he was cute." She batted her eyelashes at Flack. "You're cute too, Detective. Tall, dark and sexy." She laughed when Flack choked on his beer. "I didn't say I'd go there, either."

"Tara, behave," Kate scolded. She passed Flack a napkin. "There you go, mop yourself up."

"I've gotta get out of here," Flack muttered, mopping at his t-shirt. "You ladies are going to be the death of me." He got to his feet. "Thanks for the pizza, and the beer."

"Thanks for the help," Tara said. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about the music."

"Don't worry about it," Flack said, waving her apology away. "Nice to meet you," he added with a smile at Deanna. "See you at work, Kennedy."

"Bye!" The chorus followed him out the door along with the laughter as he shook his head over the insanity of women.

Kate's face swam in his head as he let himself into his own apartment. An image of her kissing Bosco goodnight followed, making him clench his jaw. He didn't want her to date the other man. Damn it, he wasn't right for her.

Who is? The voice in his head mocked him as he flopped down on his couch and turned on the football game. You?

Get a grip, he ordered himself. She was a colleague. That was it. Nothing more.

"Who are you trying to convince here," he muttered. Exhaling loudly, he stared into space. "Donnie, you're toast."

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"Morning," Dee greeted Kate as she stumbled into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Coffee?"

Kate reached for the cup without answering and yelped out a protest as Tara joined them and nipped it out of her hand. "Hey!"

"Mine, little sister."

Dee looked at them and laughed. "You two haven't changed since college." She handed Kate another mug and passed over the plate of toast she'd made.

"Will you be my mommy?" Kate begged over a mouthful of toast. "I'll be a really good girl!"

Laughing, Dee looked at the twins. In identical blue and white pajama shorts and white vest tops, they were like two children waiting on dinner. "For letting me stay here, I'll be anything you want."

"I have to get ready for work," Tara announced, putting her cup and plate in the sink. She threw Deanna a look over her sister's head.

"Stop it," Kate protested, whipping her head around. "I know you, Tara. Whatever it is you want to know, just ask."

"Oh what the hell." Tara plopped back into her chair. "What happened with Bosco? And why were you kissing Flack in his bedroom?"

"Kissing?" Dee sent an outraged glare at Tara. "You never said there was kissing. When did that happen?"

"I did tell you about the kissing," Tara argued. "You almost fell off your chair."

"I heard nothing about kissing."

"Still here," Kate reminded them impatiently. She shoved at the curls that were hanging in her eyes. "Ok. First off. Bosco. We had one date. Not a marriage proposal. He was very sweet and he can really kiss." She grinned at her sister's shocked face. "Oh come on. Did you think I'd pass up that chance?" When Tara just stared at her, she sighed and continued. "But, there was no chemistry there. None. We laughed about it and he walked me to the door and that was it."

"Is he available?" Deanna wondered.

"Not for you," Tara immediately shook her head. "He's a known womanizer." At Kate's raised eyebrow, she shrugged. "We listen to the gossip in the ER too, you know."

"This is like Days of Our Lives," Dee mused. She shook her head. "You girls have all the luck."

"What happened with Flack," Tara begged, looking at the clock. "I have to get to work!"

"We were talking," Kate began, holding out her mug for more coffee. "And then he said something sweet and I went to kiss his cheek." She looked down at her hands. "He turned his head and I got his lips."

"And then I interrupted," Tara grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"That's ok. It's probably not the best idea anyway."

"Why not?" Dee was astounded. "He's totally hot. Not my type, but totally hot."

"He's a colleague," Kate reminded her. "A cop colleague."

"I don't see why it wouldn't work," Dee argued. "He's interested in you."

Kate perked up immediately. "Why do you say that?"

"Dogs in the street," Tara cut in before Dee could reply. "How much do you bet he sent you those roses, too?" She hopped up off her chair again. "I really have to go. Don't say anything important until I'm here to hear it!"

"Could be hard," Kate called after her. "We have opposite shifts for the next three days!"

Dee looked at her. "Is there something you're not telling us, Kate?"

"No," Kate answered. "I have to shower and go get groceries before I start work."

She stopped, looked at her friend. Deanna's shoulder length, dark brown hair was neatly tied back. She wore a pair of faded blue jeans, sneakers and a white t-shirt. Seeing her, having her around to talk to made Kate realize how much she'd missed her. "Dee?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're here."

"Me too, Katie. Me too."

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Dee ended up coming with her to get the groceries. She trailed around after Kate, taking it all in with her usual quiet manner. Kate knew that behind that serious exterior lurked the mind of a genius.

"Well if it isn't my favorite twin," a masculine voice teased. "What's up, Irish?"

"Fireman Brian," Kate said with a matching grin as she reached up to give the big man in front of her a hug. "Why aren't you putting out the fires you cause?"

"Can't get to them all," he answered, turning curious blue eyes on Dee. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Deanna Grayson," Kate answered, turning to Dee, who'd gone unusually quiet. "Dee, this is Brian Cambelli, a friend of Tara."

"We had one date," Brian corrected with a wink at Dee, who smiled in return. "Before she met the brain surgeon. How's that going, by the way?"

"Great. I think. Tara seems happy." Kate shrugged as the began to walk around the aisles. "She never talks about him much. But they seem to get along just fine."

"How's Stella," Brian asked, tossing vegetables into his cart. "Heard Flynn wasn't coming home for a while. She ok?"

"She's coping," Kate answered. "Throwing herself into work. I don't really know her that well yet. She's pretty closed about things. "

"She had it hard for a while," Brian said cryptically. "Most of us thought she and Mac would make a go of it."

Kate felt a little uncomfortable talking about Stella's private life, so she swiftly changed the subject. "We should go," she said, heading towards the checkout. "See ya, Brian. Come see us soon."

"Will do. Nice to meet you, Ms Grayson."

"You too. Bye," Dee answered, looking at his retreating back. She blew out a breath. "Nice. Why don't they have those in Chicago?"

"They do," Kate tossed back, grinning. "You just haven't noticed them. Want his number?"

"Kate!" Dee was mortified. "I can't just call him and say, hey there, Fireman Brian, want to make out?"

"No, " Kate agreed seriously. "But you could always light a fire and have him come put it out." She broke down and laughed at her friend's face. "Dee, honey, you need to realize that you're well worth any man's attention." She looked at her friend, wondering how Dee could think that her small features and gentle smile weren't worth looking at. She'd always been the same. No confidence when it came to men. She didn't see the intelligent blue eyes, the pretty smile and the sharp wit that made her naturally endearing.

"Let's go," Dee said, taking the groceries in their paper bag. She had paid for them while Kate had been daydreaming. "You need to get to work."

Kate followed her out of the store, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of a new challenge. She began plotting and planning, her mind going into overdrive.

"Hey," Dee said, interrupting her reverie. "Look at that!"

Standing in the hallway was a bunch of roses. White ones this time.

"Nice," Dee said, bending to pick up the card. "It's addressed to you," she said, handing it to Kate and sticking the keys in the lock.

"For what you didn't do," Kate read out as she followed her into the house. She felt a trickle of unease spread over her. "These must have been hand delivered." She looked around, wondering who had sent them. "For what you didn't do."

"What's that mean?" Dee asked, poking her head out of the kitchen. "Did you forget something?"

"No, "Kate said slowly. She looked at the flowers, sitting on the coffee table. "I think I'll take these to work, See if there's anything I can find out on them.

Shivering a little, she replaced the card and headed into the bedroom to get dressed.

**Two chapters in one day! Woohoo I am on a roll! Cue dance around my bedroom. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	9. Slaughterhouse

**A/N: Some of you have questions, mainly Dol and Shane, so I'll do my best to get them answered in this one. Enjoy! Thanks as always to my regular reviewers, I'll try and answer some of your questions soon!**

**Chapter 9. Slaughterhouse**

When Kate stepped off the elevator at the lab with her bunch of roses, Jessica Angell let off a low whistle. Her dark eyes were curious as she crossed to Kate and held the door of the Trace Lab open. "Wow. Where'd you score those?"

"Somebody left them at my house," Kate answered. She put them on the table and sighed. "I'm probably overreacting and being totally paranoid, but something feels off."

"Why?"

"Because it's the second anonymous bunch of roses I've gotten, with the second cryptic note."

Angell frowned, her eyes flicking to the flowers before resting on Kate again. "Think somebody has a crush?"

"On me?" Kate shook her head. "I don't think so. I haven't dated anyone since I came here, except for Bosco and that was once"

"Boscorelli?" Angell started laughing. "You went on a date with Boscorelli?"

When Kate only nodded she laughed harder. "And you're not permanently scarred?" Shaking her head, she laughed again. "Wonders will never cease."

"He was a gentleman," Kate said defensively. "You should go out with him and see."

"Nah," Angell replied with a shake of her head. "I'd arrest his ass in a heartbeat."

Her cell rang and she flipped it open. "Angell." Listening intently to whoever was on the other side of the line, she nodded and told them she'd be right there.

"Homicide?"

"Brass called, " Angell said, checking her radio. "I've gotta run. See you later, Kate. Hope you find out who sent you those flowers."

"You got flowers," Mac said, coming into the lab. "Hi, Angell. Who sent you those?"

"I don't know, Mac," she replied. "I was hoping I could run some print checks on them and see if I get a hit in IFUS. _(A/n IFUS? AFUS? Anybody know for sure? Couldn't find it anywhere!!)_

Mac nodded. "As long as it doesn't get in the way of your other cases."

"How's Lindsay's mom doing?" Kate asked him as she pulled on her white lab coat. "Any word on when she'll be back?"

"Getting tired of all the extra work?" Mac teased.

"Not at all," Kate said quickly. "I was just wondering. I haven't seen much of Danny lately, so I couldn't ask him."

"As far as I know, Mrs. Munroe is recovering nicely and Lindsay should be back with us in about two weeks." Mac looked out of the glass doors of the Trace Lab and his face lit up as he spied Peyton, carrying the baby in her arms.

"Hey there," he greeted them, going out of the door and kissing his wife. "How are my girls?"

"Bored," Peyton declared in her soft British accent.

"Is that Claire?" Kate asked, coming over to look at the baby. "She's beautiful, Mac. Congratulations, Mrs. Taylor."

"Oh please," Peyton shuddered. "Call me Peyton. Mrs. Taylor, while I adore it, of course, makes me feel dreadfully old."

"Kate, would you take Claire into the break room?" Mac asked with another smile for his wife.

"You want me to take her?" Kate asked in disbelief. "Are you sure about that?"

"You've held a baby before, haven't you?"

"Sure." Kate reached out to take the baby and cooed at her when Claire gave her a wet grin.

"I'll come get her in a few minutes," Peyton said with a smile. Her blue eyes were soft as she kissed her daughter and followed her husband into his office.

"C'mon, Claire Elizabeth." Kate kept up a stream of nonsensical chatter as she took the baby to the break room and settled on the couch with her.

That was where Flack and Stella found her a few minutes later. Sitting on the couch chattering to the baby and blowing raspberries on her stomach.

"Staring them young, aren't we?" Flack joked, going over to get himself some coffee. "Hey, Baby Taylor." He leaned down to peer at Claire, who just gurgled at him and waved her little hands about. "What's happening?"

"Stella, you want to hold her?" Kate offered, looking at Stella.

"Sure," Stella answered, reaching out to take Claire from Kate. "Kate, are those flowers in the Trace Lab yours?"

"Crap!" Kate jumped to her feet. "Baby Taylor distracted me. I'll go get them."

She returned a few minutes later to see Stella leaning against Flack, tears leaking out of her eyes. They were talking softly and didn't hear Kate come in.

"I love Flynn," Stella was saying. "I do. I sometimes just wish that Mac and I had - "

"Stell," Flack interrupted gently. "You're one of my best friends. And I'd do anything for you. But you and Mac, you weren't meant."

"I loved him," Stella said, her voice wavering. "But I think that I loved the idea of him more than the man. " She turned tear stained eyes to Flack. "I just see him with Peyton and this little angel and I wish…I just wish. Know what I mean?"

"You can't keep wishing," Flack said quietly. "If you love Flynn then he's enough for you."  
"I love him." She looked down at the cooing baby. "I just wonder if I'd been able to understand Mac a little better, then maybe…"

"You shouldn't wish that, Stell." Flack tickled Claire under her tiny chin. "If it had been that way, Claire wouldn't be here. And how could you wish her away?"

Kate felt that she'd heard enough. She cleared her throat. Stella looked up at her and Kate saw the stark misery in her eyes. "Sorry to interrupt," she said. "I was just going to ask Stella if she'd do some trace analysis on this for me." She held up the bouquet. "I have no idea where it came from."

"Sure," Stella jumped to her feet and hastily shoved the baby at Flack, who took her nervously. "I'll be right back."

Kate stared after her, certain that the older woman had been crying. "Flack, is she ok?"

"No," Flack said wearily. "She could do with a friend. A friend who can follow her into the ladies room."

"I'll go," Kate said immediately. "You keep an eye on Claire."

In the ladies room, the sound of sniffling came from the end stall. Kate knocked on the door after making sure there was nobody else in there. "Stella?"

"I'm ok," came Stella's voice from inside the cubicle.

"Really?" Kate peered over the partition. "You're ok?"

Stella smiled in spite of herself. "I haven't had somebody do that since I was at school."

"Always works, " Kate said, grinning at her. "Are you going to come out? I'm too short for this. I'm on my toes here!"

Stella opened the door and sat on the floor, back to the wall. Kate dropped down beside her. "Want to talk about it?"

"You've seen the pictures in my office," Stella said. IT wasn't a question. "Of Flynn and I on our wedding day?" When Kate nodded, she knuckled away a tear and continued. "When I met Flynn, I was in love with Mac. But he and Peyton were making a go of it."

"Did you love him?"

Stella nodded. Fresh tears rose in her eyes. "I did. But I could never accept that Claire, his first wife, would always be in his heart. " She accepted the Kleenex Kate offered her. "I couldn't stand being second to a ghost."

"And Peyton could," Kate guessed. Her heart ached for Stella. The woman was obviously in turmoil.

"Yes," Stella said sadly. "She was able to just accept that Mac would always love Claire. They even have a picture of her in the house. And they named the baby for her." She scrubbed at her eyes fiercely. "I just couldn't do that, Kate. Always live with a ghost of a woman that was there before me."

"That's not your fault," Kate told her, putting an arm around her and hugging her. "That's just life. And you love your husband. Thinking this way isn't being disloyal to him. IT just makes you human."

"I feel like I'm cheating on him," Stella sobbed. "And I miss him and I want him home."

"It's ok," Kate crooned. "Just cry a little. It'll be ok." She held Stella until the other woman's sobs subsided. "Why don't you go call the base? They might be able to locate him. That'll make you feel better."

Stella nodded and struggled to her feet. "Thanks, Kate." She attempted a smile. "I'll be ok now. Go back out to Flack and rescue Claire. He's probably telling her his top ten horrible homicide stories!"

Kate went in search of Flack and found him where she'd left him, in the break room, Claire propped against his chest.

"…And I got him in a headlock and arrested him right there and then," he was telling the wide-eyed baby. "He'd killed that man with a hatchet - "

"Donald Flack Junior!" Kate exclaimed in horror. "What are you telling that baby!" She snatched the child away from him and glared at him.

"What, " Flack protested, looking wounded. "I wanted to tell her a story about her Uncle Don."

"Arresting someone for murder?" Kate raised an eyebrow and continued to glare. "I don't think so."

"There you are," Peyton said cheerfully as she went to claim her precious daughter. Kate decided that she liked Mac's wife. She was very pretty, with long dark hair and big blue eyes. Her smile was gentle and she seemed warm and friendly. "Have you been telling my daughter stories of blood and gore, Don?"

Flack kissed her cheek. "Her Uncle Don will mind her as if she were his real niece," he promised. "No boys will get near her."

"That's for sure," Mac said dryly. "Her Daddy is a Marine. I know twenty ways to kill a person."

"Men," Peyton said Claire, who grinned happily at her.

"She's beautiful," Kate told them, smiling as Mac took the baby from his wife.

"Thank you," he replied. "Her christening is on Sunday at four. I checked your roster, Flack. You're off."

"Wouldn't miss it, Mac."

"Good, " Mac said gravely. "Because the godfather shouldn't miss his goddaughter's christening."

"Me?" Flack was speechless. "Me? Wow! Thanks, Mac." He was grinning manically.

"Stella, " Peyton turned to Stella who had come back into the room. Her eyes were no longer red and unless you looked closely, you wouldn't see the signs of tears. "We were hoping you would be godmother."

"I'd be honored," Stella said, choking up all over again.

"Kate, you're off at seven," Mac said. "You're most welcome to come to the party afterwards. Bring your sister and that friend of yours. The more the merrier."

Kate smiled at him, pleased to be asked. "Thanks, Mac. "

"You're welcome. Now." He swept a hand around the room. "Back to work. We have lots to do around here."

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Flack caught up with Kate as she went to cross the street to the police station. "Hey." He took her arm to stop her. "What's this I hear about you getting anonymous flowers?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Word travels fast." She paused before looking up at him. "I got two lots of them. Roses both time. Both with these cryptic notes."

"What did they say?"

"The first said 'for everything you've done." She pushed in the door of the bullpen." The second one was a follow on from that. It said 'for what you didn't do."

Flack's eyes darkened with concern. "And you have no idea who's sending you flowers?"

"None. Tara thought it was Bosco, but flowers aren't really his style."

"Not likely," Flack retorted. "And he wouldn't send roses. Would you, Bosco?"

"Would I what?" Bosco asked him grumpily. "Hey, Kate."

"Send me flowers, " Kate answered him with a smile. "You didn't, did you?"

"Nope," Bosco said with a shudder. "No offence. I don't even send my Ma flowers."

"Thought so," Flack sounded triumphant.

Kate elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop it. It's probably nothing."

"Kennedy, flowers once are nothing. Twice is a little more than coincidence." Flack told her. He signed his name to a report Yokas handed him and turned to her. "Just be careful, ok?"

"Sure thing, Dad," Kate teased. "Kaile, do you have those files for me?"

Kaile Maka nodded and handed her a stack of paper. "Still annoying the lab staff, Flack?"

"You just wish I'd annoy you, Maka," Flack shot back. "Still pining after Messer?"

"Every day," Kaile told him with a broad smile. "Still pining after Bonasera?"

Flack's answer was a rude gesture that made Kate gape at him.

"You guys have a twisted sense of humor," she declared. "I don't get it."

"You don't want to," Maka told her. "See you later, guys."

"Why don't you date her?" Kate asked Flack as he followed her to the front door. "And why are you following me?"

"I did date her," Flack shrugged. "And I'm following you because I want to. Happy?"

"Confused," Kate told him. She narrowed her eyes. "Are you following me because you think some lunatic is going to shoot me in the street?"

"No," Flack protested. "I'm only - what the hell?" He was running out into the street even as Kate shrieked.

"Flack, what the hell are you doing?"

Cars blared the horns and slammed on brakes as he darted out into the road. Kate held her breath and looked at the other side of the road. He was standing with his back to her. She took off across the street after him and grabbed his jacket to get him to turn around.

"Are you completely crazy? You could have been killed!" Her lecture died on her lips as she stared in amazement. In his arms was a very small child. Her mousy brown hair was tied in a ponytail and she had big dark eyes, red-rimmed from crying.

Oh my god," Kate murmured. "What the hell?"

The child's sleeper suit was covered in blood.

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"Someone want to fill me in here?" Mac demanded as he entered the precinct. He stopped dead at the sight of the child in Flack's lap. "What is Flack doing with a child?"

"He rescued her from getting killed crossing the street," Kate explained. She held up the bloody sleeper suit with one gloved hand. "She was wearing this."

Mac's eyes widened slightly at the blood-covered garment. "She was wearing that? Covered in all that blood?"

Kate nodded gravely. "Someone was either badly injured or else dead where this little girl came from."

"How far could she have walked?" Danny asked, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Flack sitting with the baby snuggled to his chest. He swore as he noticed the blood stained sleeper suit. "Dammit Mac, that kid's only a baby. Who the hell would hurt her?"

"I don't know," Mac said grimly. "But we're going to find out."

He signaled to Faith Yokas, who was trying to cajole the child from Flack's lap and into the arms of the social worker.

Kate smiled and waved at Serena Meyers, who returned the salute.

The little girl was having none of it. She shook her head and wriggled closer to Flack, who tightened his hold and glared at Yokas.

"Flack. What happened?" Mac approached the detective and sat down. "From the beginning."

"I was talking to Kennedy," Flack began. "I spotted her wandering and she was about to cross the street when I went out and got her."

"You could have been killed," Kate said with a shiver. "You scared ten years off me."

"I added years to her," Flack said softly, looking down at the little girl.

"You have an admirer," Stella said, joining them. "Any idea where she came from?"

"None yet," Hawkes cut in. "Danny and I are attempting to establish a trail." He shook his head. "How far could she have walked?"

"However far, " Mac said thoughtfully, "It would have been a pretty straight line. It's amazing nobody picked her up."

"People don't want to get involved in things that don't concern them," Danny said. He leaned in to get a look at the child. She immediately hid her face in Flack's shoulder.

"Quit scaring her, Messer," Flack growled. "She's only a baby."

"I think you have an admirer, Flack," Stella teased. "She seems to like you."

"She does, huh?" Flack looked at her and smiled. "Must be the natural charm and good looks. From two to ninety two, I'm the man."

"He must have hit his head somehow," Stella said to Kate, who grinned.

"Back to the task," Mac interrupted. "Somehow, this baby got covered in blood. And we need to find out how and where."

Just then, John Sullivan approached the group. "Detectives? We got a location." He looked unusually serious. "Davis and 55-David are checking it out now." The radio crackled and Bosco's voice was heard calling in a location not far from the precinct.

"You guys might want to bring your kits," Sully added before going to get his keys.

"Let's go," Mac said. "Kate, Flack, you take the kid. Her reaction might give us some clues."

"Think that's wise?" Kate asked. "She's only a baby, Mac. Might do permanent damage."

"We have no choice, Kate," Mac replied gravely. "We need to solve this crime. Whatever it is."

Kate frowned, but complied. She took the keys of the Jeep that Mac tossed her and motioned to Flack to get in the passenger seat.

"How come you're driving?"

"Because, Flack, as good as you are, you can't drive with a toddler in your lap," Kate said patiently. "Get in."

Flack hesitated, torn between wanting to argue and not wanting to frighten the child clutching at his jacket. "We should get her some clothes. " He looked over at Kate, daring her to disagree.

"Ok," she agreed, climbing behind the wheel and starting the engine. "I'll have Dee pick up something for her and drop it to the station later."

"Fine." He buckled his seatbelt and looked down at the little girl, still snuggled against him. She hadn't said a word, not even that baby nonsense his nephew was always babbling. His eyes softened as he ran a hand over her silky hair. "She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?"

"She's adorable," Kate said, with a smile for the toddler. "Aren't you, sweetie."

They pulled up in front of a sprawling, split level house with toys scattered in the yard and two vehicles in the driveway. Mac was standing in the doorway, gun drawn. Danny and Stella flanked him along with Angell and they went into the house as a fluid unit.

"Clear!" The voices floated out and the various other officers moved into position. Davis and Sully were putting up the yellow tape around the house. Faith was talking to EMS and Bosco was rapidly advancing on Kate and Flack, who were standing in the driveway.

"Hey," he greeted Kate with his usual cheeky grin. "Did you see inside? It's a total bloodbath."  
"Nice, Bosco," Kate said, motioning to the child. "That's real nice."

"What?" Bosco held up his hand in protest. "Kid can't even talk yet."

"Go away, Bosco," Flack growled at him. He hitched the toddler up in his arms and turned steely blue eyes on Bosco. "Go far away."

Bosco said nothing, just rolled his eyes and went to join Faith.

"Kate!" Mac called from the house. "I need you in here."

Kate immediately headed into the house, taking her kit and her camera with her. Mac met her at the door.

"Take a moment," he warned. "It's not a pretty sight."

"I can handle it, Mac. I've seen blood before."

"Not like this," Mac said softly. "This is pretty bad."

Kate drew in a breath as she entered the hallway of the house. The metallic smell of blood immediately filled her nostrils. Forcing herself to breathe through her mouth, she began to carefully step through the hallway, coming to a halt at the end of it when she saw the first body.

The teenager lay in a pool of blood, curled protectively around an infant. The baby was also spattered with blood. It appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

A lump rose to Kate's throat as she looked down at the child. "Can't be more than a few weeks," she commented, snapping pictures from all the usual angles. "Poor little angel."

"Not long for this world," Sid Hammerback commented as he gently moved the baby apart from the older boy on Kate's instruction. "You were only on loan, weren't you, little one?"

"We've got another one upstairs," Danny said heavily. His eyes were somber behind his glasses. "Another kid."

"Looks like Mom is here," Angell said from the living room. "She's been shot in the - Mac!" She fell to her knees beside a man who appeared to be dead. "Mac, he's breathing!"

Mac rushed in to join her. They turned the man over and he let out a rattly breath.

"Sir, can you tell me what happened?" Angell asked repeatedly. "Sir?"

"Please," he rasped. "My son needs help. Please help my son."

"He's been shot in the back," Hawkes said, his doctor's eye running over the victim. "We need to get him to hospital."

"That's what we're here for," Kim Zambrano announced as she strode into the room. Kate had met the pretty brunette at several crime scenes and liked her. Her usual partner, a serious African American man called Doc, was nowhere to be seen. "Alex!"

A petite blonde came hurrying into the room. "Sorry. I was helping Daddy Flack out there with the kid." She began to help Kim load the man onto the gurney. "Any word on what happened?"

"Not yet," Mac answered. "We'll keep processing. Tell the doctors at Queen of Mercy that I want to be informed as soon as he wakes."

"Will do," Kim told him, pulling the gurney out of the house, careful to avoid damaging any evidence.

Kate turned to Mac. "Where do we start?"

"Bag and tag everything," Mac ordered. "Anything that you think is suspicious. We need to get this guy before he strikes again."

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"Ok, people," Angell stood in the middle of the room, hands on hips. "Let's get to work here."

"Who are we dealing with?" Danny asked her. "Have we names?"

"Dad is Jason Kaplan," Angell began. " Mom is Stephanie and a stay at home. Kids are Luke, aged sixteen, Timothy, aged nine. He's upstairs." She paused to look at them before continuing. "Our Toddler, the one currently stuck to Flack, is Erin. She's seventeen months. And the last is Max. He's six weeks."

"I knew it," Kate murmured. "Just a baby."

"We need to do a complete work up on this," Mac ordered. "Like I said before, take anything you feel is necessary. Send everything back to Adam at the lab and confirm that the blood from our victims is a match to the blood on Erin's clothes."

"Who's processing the kid?" Danny asked. "She'll need to be checked out."

"Kate, you do that and get back here to help then. Take the Jeep, use the sirens and lights. Whatever you need to get the job done."

"Will do, Mac."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey there," Tara greeted her at the door of the pediatric unit with a smile. "Come to relieve Detective Daddy in there?"

Kate gestured towards the kit in her hand and shook her head.

"Oh," Tara said, wrinkling her nose. "Doesn't your job just suck? Dee checked her out and she's not hurt. You can do your thing now. But be warned, she doesn't like to be taken from Flack."

Kate pushed open the door and smiled at the sight of Flack holding a sippy cup to the little girl's mouth. He was sitting in a chair next to the cot she was in, pulling faces to make her laugh.

"Hi," she said softly. "How's our patient?"

"She's fine," he answered, stretching out his back. "We got a name for her?"

"She's Erin Kaplan," Kate said, handing him a copy of what they had so far. "I thought you might want to see this." She held up the kit in her hand. "I need to take some samples and do a work up on her."

"She won't like it," Flack warned, shaking his head. "She hasn't let me out of her sight for a second in the last few hours."

"I'll be gentle, Dad," Kate teased. "It won't hurt a bit, will it, baby?"

Erin wrinkled her nose and turned big blue eyes to Flack, who instantly melted. "Um, Kate, maybe you should leave it be for a while."

"I need to do this, Flack," Kate explained patiently. "She's going to cry a lot, but if I want to get results I have to. I'm sorry."

"Be quick," Flack ordered, perching on the edge of the cot. "She doesn't like people."

Kate quickly collected the samples, amazed when Erin didn't scream. She snapped the required pictures and smiled at the child. "There, that wasn't so bad." Looking at Flack she grinned ruefully. "Kids are becoming part of my daily routine."

She gathered her samples together and stood up. "Social services are here to take her for the night."

"I know," He answered the question evenly, but Kate sensed that he didn't like it. "I'll take her right out."

Kate watched as he picked Erin up and handed her over to Serena. Erin cried piteously and reached out her arms to Flack, who immediately stretched out his hand.

"Don't," Kate snapped out, ordering herself to be tough. "Don't, she'll get worse. This happens all the time, Flack, You know that. We need you to help us with this case."

He nodded and followed her down the corridor, Erin's howls of anguish echoing after them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"More flowers for you, Kate," Adam informed her as she peered into the Trace Lab. The rest of the afternoon had been spent gathering evidence and carefully bagging it up for Adam to analyze at the lab.

"From who?" Kate demanded. "Who left them?"

"I don't know, " Adam said, startled by the vehemence in her voice. "They were here when I got to the break room. There's a note, too."

Kate snatched the note and tore open the envelope. "For what I'm going to do," she read out loud. Her heart started to pound, She took the flowers and threw them into the nearest bin with such force that Adam gaped at her.

"I don't have time for this," she said furiously. "Whoever is sending these can just go and - "

"More flowers?" Flack's voice was dangerously soft. "That's it. Kate, you need to do some detective work on this guy."

"In case you hadn't noticed," Kate shot back," we have a multiple homicide and a toddler with no family. I don't have time."

"When this is over, then." Flack refused to be moved. "I'm not taking no for an answer, Kate."

"Whatever, Can we get back to the case, please?"

Flack watched as she pulled on her lab coat and began to squirt god knew what into little bottles and tubes. The lab-rat stuff was a complete mystery to him.

She needed to get this sorted out, he thought, ignoring the voice in his head that asked him why he worried about her so much. This could be nothing, but it could be something big too. She'd become important to him, he realized, almost falling off his chair with shock. She'd started to matter.

Blowing out a breath, he went to find Angell and get the latest update on the case.

**A/n: I took this one from a box set my friend kindly loaned me of CSI:Miami. So I should probably add that I don't own that show either or it's storylines or characters. I own nothing!! Please continue to review!!**


	10. A Father's Choice

**Hey all, how are things? Sorry this one is slowing down I have been addicted to CSI: Miami for the last few days thanks to Aphina and "Finding Kate". Still, my email inbox told me that I need to get my ass in gear again and get updating so here goes. This one is based on Miami and I don't own, blah blah blah. You know the drill. **

**Shane Vanson: There is a little fluff just for you!**

**BEG75: Flack with a kid is just too cute. You do it so much better than me!**

**Marialisa: Thank you, I appreciate the review!**

**Aphina: I'm having so much fun writing Kate, she's great. Your Kate is hooking me too!**

**Dol: Thanks for the kind words and everything else. You really are the best!**

**Chapter 10. A father's choice.**

Jessica Angell looked at the photographs spread on the desk in the main Trace Lab and sighed. Around the room, Mac and his team were all surveying the results with the same expressions.

"Let's run the story so far," Mac said. "Flack and Stella have gone to interview Mr Kaplan. Maybe he can help us with this."

"I've got Davis and Sully in holding with the wife's sister," Angell said. "Maybe she can shed some light on why they were all at home."

"Evidence in the kitchen suggests that Mom was caught up with a newborn and the toddler," Kate put in. She pointed to the photos that she'd snapped of the chaos around the house. "Dishes were unwashed, place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months."

"Empty fridge, " Danny continued, " garbage everywhere. They lived on Fast food."

"No sign of struggle," was Hawkes' contribution. "No blood anywhere except around the victims and nothing broken."

"We found some burgers and half eaten fries on the counter," Kate added, consulted her notes. "And some medication in the bedroom for depression. None were taken."

"Looked like Mom wasn't taking very good care of the family," Danny commented.

Kate shot him a glare. "Post natal depression, maybe?"

"IF it is, and she shot her family, does that make it ok?"

Kate was just about to make an argument when Mac stepped in." Ok. Ease up." He turned to the photos of the victims lying on the ground. It didn't take a blind man to see that he was thinking of his own wife and baby at home." What else have we got on the timeline?"

"It appears that Erin came to the mother, went around the father, and then went to the brother and Max," Hawkes said. "I'd say that she was standing over Luke when he bled out."

"Poor baby," Kate said sadly. "She's got nobody left now."

"She has a Dad and an Aunt," Danny reminded her. "She's not alone."

"Why was she the only one not shot?" Mac mused. "Why was she spared?" He looked up at them. "We need to go back to that house and go over it again."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Jason Kaplan just got out of surgery," Mac informed Kate as he hung up the phone. "Flack and Stella are interviewing him now. They'll be done soon."

"How's he doing?" Danny asked. "He going to be ok?"

"He's a fighter, according to the doctors," Mac answered. He looked at Danny, who was using his torch to search the doorway of the bedroom. Kate was processing the bedclothes for the second time.

"I've got to get to the Lab," Mac said. "Kate, I need you with me. Hawkes, Danny, you stay here. Fine Comb this place."

"What are you thinking?" Kate asked Mac as they sat in the Jeep on the way back to the Lab. "I'm thinking that Mom got fed up and took a gun to her head after she shot her family."

"I don't know, Mac," Kate said doubtfully. "Something just isn't right about that."

"We'll see what Kaplan says to Flack and Stella." Mac's phone rang. "Taylor. Flack, what have you?"

He listened, then hung up. "Kaplan can't remember anything. HE says he thought he heard the baby cry, then saw his son on the ground. After that, just a flash of heat and nothing else."

"Damn," Kate shook her head. "What about that hair we found on the bed. It's a brunette hair. Mom was blonde."

"Maybe Adam will have something. Kendall volunteered to come in and help too. Should speed things up a little."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The owner of your brunette hair was related to Mom," Adam Ross informed them as they entered the Trace Lab. "I'm thinking sister, judging by the DNA results."

"Could Dad have been getting a little on the side from the sister?" Kate wondered, looking at the page. "Have we still got her in questioning?"

"Angell was talking to her," Mac answered. "What say we head on over and see what she has to say."

"I'll have fifty pounds lost running around this building, " Kate complained as she trotted after Mac. "The elevators aren't working today for some reason."

"Maintenance will get them running," Mac said calmly. "Don't panic."

"Mac!" Kendall hurried to catch them before they left the building. "I'm running trace on the bottle you got in the kitchen and the gun." She smiled at Kate. "I'll let you know what I find."

Sara Williams was a pretty brunette with grief stricken dark eyes and a fragile appearance. She sat in the interrogation room nervously twisting her hands together.

"Did you know your sister was seeing a psychiatrist?" Angell asked her.

Kate raised her eyebrows at Mac. This was news to her.

"Yes," Sara answered, her voice wavering. "She wasn't coping. Not sleeping." Tears rose in her eyes. "The baby wasn't sleeping very well. Colic, I think."

"Baby blues are one thing," Angell said evenly. "Post partum psychosis is quite another."

"My sister didn't kill her kids." Sara's voice rose defensively. "She loved them more than anything in the world." She glared at Mac. " Steph was depressed. She wasn't crazy."

"She had medication that she wasn't taking," Kate said quietly.

"She was nursing," Sara answered. "She didn't want to hurt Max." She began to cry. "She loved those children. They were her life."

"We found your hair in their bed," Mac stated. "Were you helping your brother in law to cope?"

Sara looked at them in utter disbelief. "Are you insane? All I wanted was my sister's happiness."

"That goal could get you into trouble," Angell stated flatly. "Where were you yesterday?"

"In Buffalo," Sara answered defiantly. "On business. You can call the airline."

"We'll be doing that," Mac said. "How do you explain your trip between the sheets?"

"I held my sister when she couldn't stop crying," Sara yelled, finally at the end of her rope. "When she couldn't get out of bed and her no good husband gone."

"No good?" Kate asked, observing the fury in the other woman's eyes.

"He hid at work," Sara told her. "He was never there. Steph was alone with four kids."

"Sounds like it was too much for her," Mac said.

"That was too much for anyone," Sara retorted. "She may have been a wreck, but she didn't kill them. None." She sat back and folded her arms.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Kendall stood outside. She motioned to Mac, who excused himself and stepped outside the room. Kate immediately followed, curiosity getting the better of her.

"The prints on the bottle are a match to Timothy's," Kendall began. "There were no useful prints on the shotgun." She looked at Kate. "I don't know what to make of this."

"So," Kate mused. "The nine year old was parenting the baby, what was the mother doing?"

"Opening the gun safe?" Kendall suggested. "Her prints are the only ones on it."

"So why didn't she shoot the toddler?" Mac rubbed his eyes and sighed. "This just doesn't add up."

"Maybe she couldn't find her." At Mac's incredulous look, Kate continued. "Think about it, Mac. If she couldn't function, then maybe she couldn't keep track of her kids. Erin could have been playing peek a boo, or something like that. Kids love to play."

"Kate, go back in there and tell Sara Williams that she can go." Mac looked at the woman through the glass on the door. "For now. Then head on down to Autopsy and see if Sid has anything for us."

"He doesn't," Kate said. "I asked him about a half hour ago and he told me he'd be done when he was done."

Her phone rang, startling her. "Kennedy. Hey, Danny. No kidding? Really? Ok, I'll tell him." She hung up the phone and turned to Mac. "Danny and Hawkes found where the toddler was hiding. It was in the kennel out back. They're sending soil samples to Adam now. It should tell us a bit about who was alive and who saw what."

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"Autopsy results, " Kate announced to the rest of the group as they sat in various chairs around the table in Mac's office. "Sid confirmed the gunshot wounds on each as the COD, and our reconstruction of Mom's shooting confirmed that she couldn't have shot herself. She was asleep."

"Blood on the blanket from the kennel proves that Erin was there after someone was injured," Danny began. He looked exhausted. " The transfer from the blanket came from Mom, so she must have gone to her Ma first."

"Any chance she went outside herself?" Mac asked.

"None," Danny replied. "Hawkes and I scraped every inch of that blanket. There is no trace of soil from the back yard on it or the clothes she was wearing. Someone carried her."

"This is getting frustrating," Flack growled. He'd stayed silent so far, taking it all in. Now he stood up and paced. "We have a ton of evidence, but nothing that can tell us who murdered this kid's family."

"We'll get there, Flack," Stella said, putting a restraining hand on his arm. "Evidence never lies."

"Let's check the shoes," Kate suggested. "We can see who carried her from the trace on the soles."

"Already done," Adam said. "Luke had traces of the soil on their shoes. So did Dad."

"Whoever carried the toddler into the yard, did so with Mom's blood, which means someone was standing when she died." Kate was pacing around rapidly. "So that means that this isn't a murder suicide." She looked around at the faces of her colleagues. "Guys, that means - "

"This is a murder," Stella said grimly. "Someone killed them."

"And it had to be Luke or Dad," Hawkes added. He looked as sick as Kate felt.

"Think a sixteen year old kid is capable of doing that?" Angell asked. "He's a kid."

"A kid with an ulcer," Kate put in, holding up the autopsy report. "Maybe he got tired of doing everything for everyone. Maybe he snapped."

"We've looked at the spatter, " Adam said, showing them pictures of the stains on Luke's pants. "I think its transfer."

"Of Mom's blood?" Flack looked sickened. "That means that Mom was dead. That kid walked in and spotted his Mom dead, his baby sister standing in her blood, and then - "

"Took Erin and hid her outside," Danny interjected, his eyes lighting up. "So he came back in and went to take the baby. Meanwhile - "

"Shooter was upstairs taking out Timmy," Stella finished. She looked appalled. "Jason Kaplan is the shooter."

"Hold up," Mac said, putting a hand in the air to silence the mass of explanations. "Why would Kaplan shoot his own family?"

"I don't know," Kate said grimly. "But I know how to tell. Adam, where is the trace from the baby?"

"The infant's own blood was here," Adam said, pointing to a spot on the neck. "Luke's was on the arm, Mom's spatter here."

"Where's Dad's blood," Mac asked, getting to his feet.

"Right there," Adam said, pointing to the drops on the other shoulder.

"Those are gravitational droplets," Mac said. He turned to Stella, who had come up behind him. "We got him."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Today sucked," Kate said to Flack as they stood outside the room of the hospital where little Erin Kaplan was being discharged. Sara Williams had already been granted custody of the little girl following her father's arrest. "Did you hear what he said when Mac and Angell went to arrest him?"

"No." Flack looked interested. "What was his excuse?"

Kate looked disgusted. "He told them that he never slept. They were slowly driving him out of his mind because they always wanted more."

"Oh my God," Flack was appalled. "He's going to try for a plea of insanity."

"He's claiming post partum psychosis by proxy," Kate told him, her mouth tightening.

"You believe him?"

"I believe he had a choice," Kate answered. She tipped her face up to look at him. "He chose to use that gun and shoot his children and his wife." Her eyes were blazing with fury. "He killed his entire family. A father's dilemma my ass, Flack. It was a father's choice. He deserves everything he gets."

"She does too," Flack said, pointing to Erin Kaplan, currently being held tightly in her aunt's arms. She was smiling at the nurse. When she spotted Flack her eyes lit up. She immediately held out her little arms, babbling excitedly.

"Hey there, doll," Flack reached out and took her, smiling at Sara, whose eyes were red rimmed. "Did you miss me?"

"Serena told us that you were very good to Erin," Sara said gratefully. "You saved her life." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "She's all I have left of my sister, Detective. I just wanted to thank you."

"No problem," Flack said. He tickled the child's nose and handed her back to her aunt. "Take care, Erin."

"Bye," Kate said, watching as Sara took Erin down the hall. She looked up at Flack. He looked unusually serious. "You ok?"

"Yeah," he said after a pause. "I really hope she's ok."

"You saved her," Kate reminded him. "You're a good guy, remember?"

He looked down at her. "Am I?"

She felt her face grow hot. "You are. I told you that before."

"You also kissed me," Flack pointed out. "We never did talk about that. We just left it."

"What are you, female?" Kate joked, suddenly feeling like this was getting way out of her control. Panic set in as he turned and faced her. She stepped back hastily.

"No, " he replied. He opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something, then shut it again. Repeating the process, he scrubbed a hand through his dark hair in frustration.

"What?" Kate asked him, something dancing in her belly. "What is it. just say it." Without even realising it, she was backing away from him.

"You called me nice. And kissed me."

"You said that already."

Once again, he seemed lost for words. The look in his blue eyes confused her as well as scaring her a little. It was intense. Like there was nobody else in the vicinity, despite various hospital personnel passing them.

Flack stepped towards her, enjoying her look of confusion as she realised her back was to the wall.

"Flack?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think that I - "

"To hell with it." He pushed her right up against the wall and gripped her arms in his big hands.

Her protest was cut off as his mouth crashed down on hers. She tensed instinctively, but realised that the small whimper she was hearing was her own. Heat speared through her and she found herself kissing him back. Some instinct made her push against him until he moved away.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I don't know what came over me."

She could only stare up at him, eyes wide with confusion. Stormy blue ones met hers. "What was that?"

"To hell with it," Flack swore again. "I wanted to do that, ok? I wanted to." He strode towards the double doors at the end of the hospital corridor. "I want to do it again, too," he added as he shoved them open and disappeared through them.

"Wait!" Kate dashed after him, finally finding her voice. "Flack, stop!" She realised that people were looking at them, so she took his arm and dragged him towards the stairwell.

"I'm not apologising," Flack said, looking defiant. "Don't wait for me to."

"You just kissed me," Kate began, ordering herself to be calm. "You kissed me, and then told me you wanted to kiss me. You'd like to kiss me again, and you won't apologise for that. Have I got it straight so far?"

"Yep."

"Ok." She watched as his eyes grew wide. "Ok," she repeated with a small smile.

"Ok?" The words came out as a question.

"Flack," Kate said patiently. "Get your brain back in gear." She moved in closer. "I'd like it if you'd kiss me again."

"Just doing my civic duty," he said with a grin as he lowered his head to hers again.

"This doesn't mean you can just not make an effort," Kate told him, pulling away suddenly. "I want to be taken on a proper date."

"A proper date, huh?" Flack teased. "Ok. How's Friday? Worked for Bosco - hey!" as she gave him a dig in the ribs. "Kidding. Can we go home now?"

"I've got work to do at the lab," Kate said with a grimace. "How about we just talk later. I'll call you when I get home."

"Sounds good to me," Flack said, before indulging himself with another kiss. It had taken him long enough, he thought, smirking at the thought of Tara's face.

She was going to be insufferable.

**A/n: Got sick of them dancing around each other. I'm not sure quite how romantic Flack is, or how this is going to work for them. Kate has some problems in store. Any ideas where they should go for a first date? I think I'll do that in the next chapter. I feel the need for a little fluff for a while. Too much drama in life!! **

**Please review! Thanks!!**


	11. Not yet

**Wow is all I can say to the response I'm getting to the last chapter. The general consensus is "Yay they kissed!". And while I agree with you all, the prospect of them dating is scary to me! Mainly because I haven't dated in a while and I've never even been to New York.**

**Shane vanson: all in time, they will be fine, don't worry. And no, he's not into Tara. I don't have that kind of talent!**

**hockeymom: Thanks again for the tips, I'm trying to write American English instead of my own Irish slang. It's tough sometimes to remember it all so thanks for your advice.**

**Madison Bellows: You are becoming invaluable to my research! Thanks for the advice and the offer of help. Glad you liked it. I just don't have the patience to make them wait too long lol it was never my strong point!**

**Elizabeth Rankley: Thank you. Sorry I don't get time to update more often. Work is a little hectic and the Bank Holiday Weekend can be crazy around here! I'll try to get more up soon, I promise. **

**Marialisa: Thanks (",) I'm looking forward to their date myself!**

**Dol: Glad you liked it and happy it didn't interfere with your work this time! Will have more for you soon! **

**Chapter 11. Told you so!**

Kate cursed as she tried to turn her key in the lock of her apartment and failed. Damn. Just what she needed after working all night to wrap up the Kaplan case?

Jason Kaplan had been arrested and charged with multiple homicide. To Kate's disgust, he'd claimed postpartum depression as the cause of his temporary insanity. Despite the discovery of ammonia on the gun safe effectively being premeditation, the chances were that he would get off with a good defence attorney and a plausible excuse.

The door opened and she found herself looking up into the blue eyes of Don Flack.

"This a booty call?" He quirked one eyebrow at her and grinned. "Cause I could be convinced to call in sick if it was."

He was dressed for work already in a dark charcoal suit and a cream coloured shirt. He looked damn good, Kate though irritably.

"Why are you in my apartment?"

"I think you'll find that this is mine. You, on the other hand, live next door."

Kate peered around him at the number on his door, turning red as she realised that he was right. "Sorry."

"No need," he teased. "I'm glad you were thinking of me."

"Get a life, Flack," she shot back. "I've been working all night. Some ass in Trace screwed up my DNA results so I had to redo them all. And then - "

"Easy, Irish," he said lazily. "You'll give yourself a nosebleed."

"A nosebleed? Please." Kate scoffed at the notion. "I work extremely well under pressure."

"That so. Well, how do you explain trying to get into my apartment instead of your own?"

"Temporary insanity," she replied. "And it's going to get worse. I have to be back at work by three." She looked at her watch. "It's now eight am. And you, Detective, are cutting into my sleeping time."

He rubbed a finger under her eyes. "You look like you could use some, Kennedy."

"Thanks," Kate said dryly. "Way to make a girl feel good, Flack."

"Think you could see your way to calling me Don at some stage before Friday?"

Kate feigned ignorance. "What's on Friday night?"

"Cute. You're real cute." He tapped her nose, laughing when she wrinkled it like a child. "God, you are cute."

"Cute is not a word designed to make me feel special." Kate turned to her own door. "If you're taking me out, shoot for something more poetic."

"I don't do poetic. And you are cute when you're irritated." He was locking his door as he spoke. "You're too small to be like a model. Wait." He held up a hand against her squawk of indignation. "You're about what, five foot - "

"Five two," she interrupted, tapping her foot on the ground.

"Stop interrupting. You're five two, probably about ninety pounds soaked to the bone, and you have freckles."

"So?" She said it defiantly, daring him to find fault.

"So I'm damned if I know why that, added to the fact that you're stubborn and you drive me nuts, makes me want to spend time with you." He nodded when her jaw dropped, satisfied.

"Well," she managed. "That's me in place." She eyed him. "I don't know if I like it yet."

"Why don't we start on Friday night? I'll pick you up at about seven."

"I'm on call," she said with some regret. "I'll have to be available if they need me."

"That's ok. I'm a cop too. I can take it. It's not as if you can disappear off the planet. I'll find you."

"Friday night," she agreed, turning to open her door.  
"Wait," he ordered, leaning in towards her. "Come here first."

Just as their lips were about to meet, the front door flew open and Tara stood there. Kate stumbled backwards as if she'd been stung.

"Well, well, well," Tara drawled, her green eyes lighting up. "Isn't this interesting."

"Bye, Don," Kate said hastily. "I'll see you at work."

"See you later, Kate. Tara," he added, winking at her before sauntering towards the elevator.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Oh no you don't!" Tara grabbed her sister's hand before Kate could disappear into her own room. "Sit your ass down there and explain." She pounded on Dee's door, ignoring Kate's protest, and filled the kettle with water. "No coffee for you if you want to sleep."

"How can I sleep when you won't let me get to bed?"

"What's going on?" Dee came up the hall, rubbing her eyes. "Is there a fire?"

"No," Tara answered, gesturing to the chair in front of her. "Sit. Kate has some explaining to do."

"Doesn't your Mom live in Chicago?" Dee joked as she plopped into the chair next to Kate.

"She does," Kate confirmed, glaring at her sister. "T, it was one kiss."  
"Whoa." Dee held up a hand. "Stop. Rewind. Replay. One what?"

"Kiss, " Tara repeated gleefully. "One k-i-s-s. With a certain tall dark and hot detective."

"You don't even like him," Kate reminded her. "You always argue with him."

"He stirs me up the wrong way," Tara corrected her. "I actually do like him. I wouldn't date him. Or kiss him, for that matter. But on that note, I bet-wow."

This time Kate grinned widely. "You bet right."

"How very high school," Dee said, curling her legs up under her. "Very mature."

"Want me to stop?" Kate asked her, making to get up from the table. "I can just go straight to bed and-"

"Don't you dare," Dee ordered. "Nobody is kissing me. I haven't had a date in months. I must live through you two." She sipped her coffee. "Please continue."

"It was one kiss, " Kate said. "We'd been talking. I wouldn't even call it arguing. He just sort of moved in."

"Moved in?" Tara looked at Dee, eyes twinkling.

"Moved in. And yes, Tara. He can kiss. That's all. He was probably about to plant another one on me when you interrupted."

Dee immediately smacked her friend on the arm. "Nice going, Tara."

"I didn't know he was kissing her, " Tara protested. "I figured I had at least another few weeks before that happened."

"Can't I go to bed now," Kate begged them. Her entire body hurt from being up all night and she was certain that if she didn't sleep soon she'd cry.

"No!" Her tormentors chorused in unison.

"Are you going to kiss him again?" Dee wanted to know. She smiled when Kate turned red and hid her face in her hands. "Oh come on, Kate. He's very hot."

"Why don't you date him then?" Kate suggested, getting up from the table. "Seriously, guys. I have to sleep. It's eight thirty. I have to work in six and a half hours."

"This," Tara said, pointing a finger at her twin," is not over, Kate. We will be talking about this again."

"Agreed," Dee put in with a wink at Kate. "When she's awake and able to really divulge the deets!"

"Night," Kate shot back at them, heading to her bedroom.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The knock on the door made Tara jump. She got off the sofa, where she'd been lying, reading a book and went to answer it. Peering through the peephole, she recognised the tall form of her neighbour.

"Detective," she greeted him cheerfully. "What can I do for you? If it's Kate you're looking for, then she's gone back to work."

"I don't want Kate," Flack said, fidgeting nervously with his tie. "I was on my way to pick up a suspect and I wanted to ask you something. "

"Come on in," Tara offered, opening the door and ushering him into the living room. She took the chair opposite him and waited patiently for him to enlighten her.

"It's Kate," Flack said finally. He looked at Tara and rubbed a hand over his dark hair. "I want to take her out on Friday night."

"Kate is my sister, not my daughter," Tara teased. She smiled at him. "I'm sorry. I presume you want some advice on where to take Kate, not the warning."

"I'll take whatever advice you give me."

"Surely you've dated before, Flack. You're what, thirty five?"

"Thirty two," he corrected, glaring at her. "I'm thirty two."

She looked at him, considering this. "You're five years older than we are. But that's ok."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Do you ask advice for all your dates? Because I've got to tell you, that's pretty damn - "

"Tara!" Dee scolded, tossing a cushion at her. She had come into the room on time to hear the last part of the exchange. She smiled at Flack and sat in the chair next to him. "I think you should take her to some of the tourist spots. You know, like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State building and - "

"That's a great idea," Tara chimed in, her eyes lighting up. "She'd like that."

"That's pretty tame," Flack said, sounding doubtful. "She might think that I'm not making the effort."

"If you dress up properly and take her to dinner then that's making an effort," Dee said firmly. "Take her on the bus tour. She's always saying she wants to do that."

"Ok," Flack agreed. "So that's it? That's all you've got?"

"That's the fun part about dating, Flack," Tara explained. "You get to find out the rest yourself."

"Thanks, ladies," Flack said, getting to his feet. "I've got to get to work now, but I appreciate your help."

"You're welcome," Dee said with her warm smile. "I'm sure she'll love whatever you plan."

"I've decided that you aren't so bad after all," Tara announced with a smile so like Kate's that he blinked.

"Thanks. I think." Stop acting like a schoolboy, he ordered himself. "You're not so bad either."

"Oh and Flack?" Tara grabbed his arm as he passed her in the short hallway. "If you hurt her, I'll castrate you with my bare hands."

Flack winced instinctively. "So noted." He gave her a wary smile. "See you later."

"Bye," Tara echoed after him. She turned to Dee and rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Now all we have to do is find a man for you!"

"Slow down," Dee warned her, laughing. "Let's get Kate and Flack in the game first. Then we'll see about me."

"Dee, you can't let one bad experience ruin every guy for you," Tara said gently. "They're not all like Sam."

Dee turned her head away so that Tara wouldn't see the tears glistening in her eyes. "I know. But for me, it's not worth the risk right now."

Tara nodded and squeezed her shoulder briefly. "I just want you happy, is all."

"I am happy." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes." She held out her hand. "You owe me twenty bucks, Kennedy. Don't think I'm letting you forget it!"

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"Hey, Kennedy," Danny called as he came into the break room. "This flowers thing is getting to be the talk of the lab!"

He was carrying another bunch of roses, yellow ones this time.

"Where did they come from?" Kate recoiled from them, her face going pale. She couldn't help the shiver of unease that ran through her at the sight of the familiar white envelope sticking up out of the bouquet.

"Someone left them in the break room." Danny looked at her, wondering if she was feeling sick. She had gone pale and her eyes were glassy with something he recognized as fear. He'd seen it too often in Lindsay's eyes when they'd first met. "Kate?"

Kate forced a smile and took the roses from him, not removing her gloves. "Thanks, Danny." She set them aside and looked at him. "How's Lindsay's mom?"

"Better," Danny said with feeling. "Montana will be home in a week or so." He smiled. "Feels like she's been gone forever."

"You miss her," Kate said quietly. "That's sweet." She looked down at her hands. "That's love, I guess."

Danny nodded his blue eyes lighting up as they did whenever Lindsay was near him or someone mentioned her. "I never thought of myself as the marrying kind."

"Everyone's the marrying kind," Kate commented. "You just have to find the perfect match."

Danny rubbed his thumb over the bright platinum band on his ring finger. "Some guys see the ring as a sign of being chained."

"Some guys are total assholes."

"Ain't that the truth. I want to wear it." He was still twisting the ring around on his finger absently. "I want to wear it because she gave it to me."

"Danny Messer," Kate teased. "You're a closet romantic, aren't you!"

"Just don't tell anybody." He sobered up as he noted the way her eyes kept flicking to the roses on the table. "You going to look at them or open the card?"

She flushed. "I don't think that I'll open it yet." She sighed, faced him. "I think that someone's gotten a…notion about me."

"A notion?" Danny was confused.

"I'm sorry. That's what Granny would say. She's Irish. Lives in County Clare. A notion is like somebody getting a case on you."

"I always wanted to go to Ireland," Danny commented, wanting to put her at ease. She reminded him of a rabbit, ready to bolt at the slightest noise. It was most unlike her usual sunny temperament. "Ireland and Italy. Someday Linds and me, we'll go and see where we came from."

"You'd like Ireland," Kate told him. She was fidgeting nervously. "It's really nice."

"Kate." He eyeballed her. "Tell me what's going on."

"I keep getting these flowers." She finally caved. "I don't know who's sending them. I ran trace on them and Stella did too, but we can't find anything."

"There's more," Danny stated, crossing his arms over his chest. "There's more to this."

"I'm getting calls," Kate admitted. "On my cell mostly." She let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "I haven't told anyone. Not even Tara."

"Why didn't you tell Flack?" When her head snapped up, he shrugged. "You and he seem tight."

"We're just - "Kate searched for the word.

"Just." Danny finished for her, grinning. "I remember being 'just' with Lindsay too." He held up his left hand. "This is what I got."

"I'm not looking for a wedding ring and a white fence," Kate snapped.

"Hard to find a white fence in New York," Danny said mildly. "Kate, you need to talk to someone about this thing."

"It's just someone that thinks he's being funny," Kate insisted. "It'll be ok."

"Calls on your cell." Danny held up one finger. "Flowers once a week to the lab or your apartment." He was ticking off on his fingers as he spoke. "And notes. Cryptic notes."

Kate turned back to her evidence. "It's ok, Danny. If it gets worse I'll tell Mac about it." She looked at him again. "I don't want to tell Flack, Danny. We haven't even had a date yet. I don't want to spoil this."

"You won't spoil anything," Danny said emphatically. "He's a good guy. And he'd try and find out about this if it was bothering you."

"It's only been a few small things," Kate said, ignoring his snort of disbelief. "It has, Danny. I have nothing to go on. No evidence, not a thing."

"You have a gut," Danny argued. "And if you won't tell Flack now, then at least promise me that if it continues that you will."

"I'll tell Mac," Kate repeated. "Or Stella."

"Or me, or Lindsay," Danny told her. "We're all friends here."

"I know," Kate answered, surprised to find that she liked being part of a group like this.

Danny made a mental note to speak to Flack about Kate and to tell his friend to keep an eye on her.

"Danny?" When he looked at her, Kate smiled at him." Thanks.

"Don't mention it."

Kate picked up her flowers and tossed them into the trash. She picked up the note and headed to the door. She almost bowled over a lab tech on the way out.

Apologising profusely to the man, who she remembered as the same one who'd messed up her Trace the night before, she went to find Kaile Maka and tell her that the young man she had in the station couldn't have killed his brother.

"Nice flowers," the lab tech commented to Danny. "Someone's in the doghouse."

"Yeah," Danny muttered, turning towards his microscope again. "Me, if I keep this one to myself."

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Flack stalked across the road and shoved open the doors of the bullpen with such force they slammed shut again.

"Well hello to you too," Jessica Angell trilled as she moved out of his way. "Having a bad day?"

"Bite me, Angell," Flack growled.

She noted his coffee stained shirt and the wet patch growing on his pants and began to laugh.

"What happened to you?"

"Suspect got a little feisty," Flack told her shortly. "He sent Thacker flying and then decided to kick me in the - "

"Lovely," Angell grimaced. "You ok?"

"I think I've regained most of the feeling," Flack replied. "He's now in holding, knocked out by my elbow." He gave Angell his best pitiful look. "Which hurts."

Angell motioned in the direction of Kaile Maka's desk. "That should make you feel better."

Flack looked over to see Kate sitting at Maka's desk, laughing at something the other woman was telling her. She was simply dressed, grey pants, green shirt, hair neatly tied back in its usual knot at her nape. His day immediately began to look brighter. Why the sight of her should have that effect on him, he couldn't say.

"Thought so," Angell teased as she went to her own desk. "Flack?" When he looked over at her, she pointed to his elbow. "It's bleeding."

"Great," he muttered. "Perfectly good shirt ruined."

Kate got up and spotted him. Her brow furrowed as she noticed the state of his clothes. Lips twitching, she came towards him. "What happened?"

"Suspect kicked him." Angell answered before Flack could open his mouth. She lowered her voice and leaned towards Kate, telling her the finer points of the story.

Kate couldn't help it. She burst out laughing as Angell had done. "Poor Flack. Are you ok?"

"Don't worry," Angell teased. "I'm sure he's still a stallion!"

Flack's answer was to flip her the bird. "Bite me."

"The numbness will pass," Thacker told him as he joined them. His own clothes were filthy as a result of his tussle with the coked up suspect. "In a few days."

"Ha ha," was Flack's surly reply. "I'm going to get changed."

"The coffee's an improvement on that tie," Maka commented as he passed her desk, Kate trailing after him.

"Are you ok?" She caught his arm as he was about to go into the men's locker room. "You're bleeding, Don."

"Hurts," he told her. "Want to kiss it better?"

"No," she shot back with a grimace. "You smell like coffee and a dirty floor."

"That's because I ended up on the floor, covered in coffee," Flack explained. "With a nice singing voice."

Kate's lips quivered with laughter. "Go. Shower. Clean up. Stella has results of your victim's autopsy."

"I live to serve." He disappeared into the locker room with a cocky grin.

Kate sighed softly. She would have to tell him about the flowers. And that light-hearted fun they were having would go out the window. And, she thought with a grimace, they hadn't even had their first date yet.

Deciding she would wait and see how it went before turning into a paranoid female, she left for the lab, stepping over the puddle of coffee that the surly janitor was mopping up.

Her next worry would be deciding what to wear. He hadn't told her what kind of date it was. OR where they were going. Shaking her head at the thought of her wardrobe, she picked up her cell and dialled her sister.

"Tara? I need your help!".

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"I think you should wear the red one," Tara declared. She was stretched out on Kate's bed with her head propped in Dee's lap.

Clothes and shoes surrounded them. Kate thought that her normally tidy bedroom looked like a war zone.

"I liked the blue one," Dee argued. "She looked better in the blue. The red is more your style."

"That's nice." Tara swiped at her, pretending to be offended. "That's real nice. Are you saying that I'm a slut?"

"Not at all, " Dee answered, eyes twinkling. "I'm merely saying that Kate isn't!"

"I think the dress is a little too much for what Flack has in mind," Tara said.

"What?" Kate swivelled her head around from her reflection. "How do you know what he's got in mind?"

"Because he asked me what you'd like to do," Tara said smugly. "He wants to get it right, Katie."

Kate smiled, the thought of Flack asking her fiery sister about a date. "And still he lives."

"I like him," Tara said thoughtfully. "He seems like a good guy." She grinned. "I bet he looks hot in those dress blues."

"HE does," Kate agreed. "Pity they only wear them to funerals and promotions."

"There's a charity thing coming up in a few weeks," Dee said, absently playing with Tara's long braid. "I think we should go. Most of the emergency services are going to be in attendance"

"Sound like an excuse to party," Kate said. "Tara, would Gary be interested?"

Tara's green eyes went carefully blank. "I'll ask him?"

"What is it?" Kate immediately asked, noting her sister's sudden change of mood. "Everything ok?"

"Fine," Tara answered with a shrug. "I haven't seen much of him lately. That's all." She held up a green silk top. "Try this one on."

Kate narrowed her eyes, noting the way Tara had changed the subject. The idea of secrets from her twin didn't sit well with her. Reminding herself that she too was doing it made her grimace and turn away from Tara.

"I like that one," Dee said quickly. "With those stonewash jeans and Tara's green shoes, it'll be perfect."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Kate drawled. "We have a winner."

**Sorry it's been so long. It's a bank holiday weekend here and I was away for most of it. The date is coming in the next chapter, I promise. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions for their first date. I have had loads of material to research and it should be up tomorrow or Wednesday! Don't forget to review!**


	12. The First

**Inspired by the feedback from chapter 11, I decided to sit down straight away and write this one. I really hope it doesn't disappoint!**

**Chapter 12. The First.**

Kate looked at her reflection in the mirror for the hundredth time. Twisting her head from side to side to look at all possible angles, she decided that her clothes would have to do.

"Stop obsessing," Dee ordered, poking her head in the door. "Tara's running late. She'll be home in about ten. She says not to go until she gives you 'the once over'?"

Kate laughed. "That's what Mom used to say before we'd go out on a Saturday night. It's an Irish thing."

Dee shook her head. "Sometimes you two are more Irish than American." Surveying her friend in the mirror, she nodded her approval. "You look great. Flack is going to swallow his tongue."

"God, I hope not," Kate joked. "Or else we'll be spending the night in the ER."

"Perish the thought," Dee shuddered. "That place is toxic on a Friday night."

"And it's just my luck to be on call," Kate said gloomily. "I hope nobody decides to go all homicidal on me."

"If they do, Flack will understand," Dee assured her. She sat on Kate's bed, a sure sign that she was about to ask some questions Kate wasn't going to like. "How are you feeling about this date?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you become a shrink instead of a nurse?" She sat down at her dresser and began to carefully apply her makeup.

"Because then I'd be living on the beach in Miami instead of here with you two." Dee eyed her in the mirror. "Now answer my question. It's been a while since you dated."

"It's apparently like riding a bike," Kate deadpanned. "You don't forget how."

"I didn't mean that," Dee shot back, throwing her a filthy look. "I just meant that it's ok to be nervous."

"I'm nervous," Kate admitted. "But it's Flack. He's just, I don't know, easy to be around."

"That's a start. A good one." Dee's eyes were sad as she looked at the picture of the three of them on Kate's nightstand. "That one. It seems like a million years ago now."

Kate noted her friend's tone and turned around to face her. "Honey, Sam is history. Tara told me that you're a little afraid of taking chances again."

Dee sighed. "I am. But I didn't come in here to talk about Sam Ellis. He's history."

"I know he hurt you, " Kate said gently. "But they're not all like Sam. He was an ass."

"That's not the term I'd use when your boyfriend cheats on you with his secretary," Dee said wryly. "I think a horse's ass covers it better."

The sound of the door opening and Tara's voice calling out to them made them both smile.

"Brace yourself," Dee murmured, signalling the end of the conversation. "She's home!"

"Hey!" Tara raced into the room, throwing her bag on the floor and herself onto the bed beside Dee.

"Ow," Dee protested when Tara wriggled until she was comfortable. "Your knee is in my back!"

"Then move over," Tara told her, squealing when Dee tickled her in the ribs "No! Stop!"

"Quit it," Kate ordered them, laughing at their antics. "Don will think there's a homicide going on here!" She turned back to her dresser, looking at the little pots of eye makeup sitting in a neat row.

"The blue one," Tara said, when she held up two colours. "And a little of the grey and the green."

"I don't want to look like a circus tent," Kate frowned. "Maybe the neutral look is better."

"You don't have to plaster it on," Tara argued, elbowing Dee aside so she could stand up next to her sister. "Here, let me do it."

Kate meekly sat back and let Tara work on her face. Now and then Dee would put in a suggestion and Tara would scoff at it, then go with it anyway.

"You're done," Tara announced, standing back to survey her handiwork. "Take a look."

Kate looked at her face in the mirror and smiled at her sister. "Nice work, T."

Her eyes looked huge and deep green, accentuated by the smoky grey and blue shadow that Tara had used. Her cheeks were flushed slightly, her lips glossed.

"Flack won't know what' s hit him." Tara predicted with a huge grin. "Now come on. It's nearly seven. You don't know if he's always on time or not outside the station."

Kate took a last look at herself, then picked up her light sweater from the chair and went to wait for Flack in the living room.

He'd told her that she should dress casually, that he himself would be wearing jeans. They would save getting dressed up properly for when she wasn't on call, he'd said with a wink.

The thought made her smile as she threw herself on the couch and waited patiently for the bell to ring.

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Flack rang the bell at precisely seven, and was greeted by a grinning Tara. "Hi."

"Hey yourself," she replied. "She's just gone to get her pager and her cell. And her gun," she added with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Joys of being a cop." Flack shrugged, following her into the hallway. He looked up when Kate came out of her room, putting her gun in her purse and her pager at its customary place on her belt.

"Wow," he managed. "You look great."

She smiled at him shyly. "Thanks."

He observed the figure hugging jeans, the silky aqua coloured top and the silver sandals. Great was a little tame, he thought, shaking his head. She looked terrific. And smelled better, he thought as she came closer. Like shampoo and flowers. Her hair was loose again, hanging down her back in a riot of curls. He realised that he liked it best that way.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Kate told him as she waved to Tara and followed him out the door.

He wore a pair of dark denims, and his shirt was black and untucked. The casual look suited him, she thought. He wore a black sweater over the shirt, the kind that zipped up the front.

"Where are we going?" She was wondering what he had in mind for her. "Can you tell me now?"

"I thought you might like to take in some of the sights, " Flack told her as they walked towards the end of the block. "You aren't a native, so I thought you might like to see some of the city."

Kate's eyes lit up. "We're taking the bus tour?" She jumped up and down like a child, making Flack laugh at her. "Can we go up on the top of it? Can we get on and off like they do on the movies?"

"Whoa," Flack laughed, grabbing her hand to steady her. "Easy. It's nighttime, so some places won't be open. But yes, we can hop on and off. And yes, we can sit on the top level."

On impulse, Kate threw her arms around his waist, making him grunt with surprise. His arms tightened around her and she looked up at him, eyes sparkling.

"I want to go to the Empire Stat building, " Kate informed him as they took their seats on the upper part of the big double decker bus. "I've always wanted to see it."

Flack watched as she leaned over the side of the bus, her eyes lighting up as they passed out various buildings she recognized. They were heading uptown along Broadway, watching the traffic flow around them, when she turned to him. "This is great," she told him, grinning. "Can we get off at the Empire State?"

"Sure," he agreed affably. "Whatever you want. Within reason," he added hurriedly when her eyes gleamed with anticipation. "No tattoos or crazy piercings or stuff like that."

"We're here," she announced, taking his hand and practically dragging him off the bus. "We're here."

They wandered around the Empire State building for almost an hour before climbing to the top. Flack flatly refused to climb the stairs all the way to the top, hustling her into the elevator instead.

Kate stood at the window and looked out over the city, mesmerized by the lights and sounds. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, she thought. Turning to Flack, she caught him watching her.

"What?"

He shrugged, but his eyes were warm. "You're like a kid in a candy store. Like it's all new and shiny."

"IT is," she informed him loftily. "I've never done the tourist thing before."

"It's nice," he said softly. "Most people are in a hurry, rushing along to the next thing without enjoying what they're doing right now."

"We work in Homicide, Don. People don't always get the next thing. We only have now."

Laughing, she grabbed his hand again. "Where's next?"

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Flack continued to watch Kate as they hopped on the bus again and headed towards Fifth Avenue. He pointed out the Guggenheim museum and the Museum of Modern Art as well as the New York City Library, enjoying the way her eyes lit up at the thought of going inside.

When the bus rolled up to Central Park, he stood and extended his hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," was all he said as he led her off the bus and into the nearest path. Around them, couples strolled, hand in hand, enjoying the night air.

Kate looked around her in wonder. "Sure feels different when you don't have to process it for Trace," she joked. "This place is fantastic, but it's a pain in the ass to work a crime scene here."

"Agreed," Flack said fervently. "I remember this one time - "

"At band camp?" Kate asked wickedly, ducking as he pretended to grab her in a headlock. "Watch the hair, Flack!"

"These aren't natural curls?" Flack asked in mock outrage. "Impostor!"

"I was born with them," Kate told him. "Along with the red hair and freckles. Thank God Mom and Dad didn't call me Colleen."

"My mother's name is Colleen," Flack declared. "I think it's a nice name." #

Kate turned bright red. "Oh God, I'm sorry. Does she have red hair?"

"No. She's got black hair like me. Why?"

"Because when redheads are called Colleen, people think of leprechauns and shamrock," Kate said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "And I'm small as it is. The last thing I need is people making comparisons like that." She narrowed her eyes as she spotted him laughing at her. "Is your mother's name really Colleen?"

"Nope," Flack replied. "It's Lorena. She's Italian."

"Italian? That explains the black hair then."

"She's blonde," Flack told her, yelping when she smacked him hard on the arm. "Ow! Pop is Irish. He's got the black hair and the blue eyes. I've got my Mama's temper."

"Clearly," Kate tossed back at him. "She's got a lot to put up with."

They were strolling through the park, her hand held in his. Kate realised that she liked the feeling of his fingers curled through hers. It was new to her; this tickle in the belly and the giddy feeling that came with it.

"You hungry?" Flack asked, wondering what she was thinking.

"Are you feeding me?"

"Why not," he said, looking at his watch. "It's only ten, so unless you turn into a pumpkin at midnight, then we're all good. What time are you on at tomorrow?"

"At nine," she answered. "Providing I don't get a call out tonight. IF I do it's in at eight for me."

"I'm on at nine," Flack told her. "I'll stop by for you."

"Great. Are you feeding me?"

Flack laughed at her. "You don't sugar the pill, do you?"

"No point," Kate answered, careful to keep her tone light. "If you don't like me for me, then what's the use in pretending to be like someone else."

"There's this little restaurant over there just off Shakespeare Gardens," Flack said. "Do you like Italian?"

"Love it," Kate said. "You'd be surprised at how much I can eat!"

"Bring it on," Flack challenged her. "Let's go."

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"Favourite food?" Kate looked at him over her empty plate. It had held linguini until she'd demolished it.

"Italian," Flack said cheerfully, gesturing to his plate. "Can't you tell?"

"You going to lick that plate, Donnie?" The waitress, a buxom woman in her fifties who Flack had introduced as Maria, bustled up to him.

"No, Maria," Flack said meekly. His eyes danced with laughter. "Can we have dessert?"

"Do cats drink milk?" Maria demanded. "Donnie, you should bring this girl back. I like her."

"So do I," Flack murmured, looking at Kate, who blushed. "So do I."

"Favourite movie?" Kate smiled as Maria cleared off their plates. "Ever."

"I like action flicks," Flack said. "Alien and Predator and that sort of thing. What?"

"Those aren't action movies," Kate squeaked, turning pale. "Those are horrible alien beings on a mission to destroy earth kind of movies."

"Favourite colour?" Flack asked her.

"Blue. You?"

"Green," he answered. "Mine's green. Favourite movie, then."

"I like chick flicks," Kate told him. "My favourite movie is called 'The Cutting Edge'. It's about an ice skating champion."

"Sounds good," Flack said seriously. "Sounds like it's got everything."  
"Shut up," she ordered sticking out her tongue at him. "Favourite actress?"

"Jessica Alba," Flack said, sighing. "Definitely Jessica Alba. That suit she wore in the Fantastic Four…"

"Want me to leave you alone for a while?" Kate teased, "Seriously Flack. Aren't you an Angelina type of guy?"

"Nope," Flack said. "She'd kick my ass. I'd never be the same. How about you?"

" Julia Roberts," she told him. "She was the classiest hooker I ever saw. Actor?"

"Jack Nicholson." When she gaped at him, he laughed. "What? He's like this legend."

"Agreed." Kate rubbed her stomach as Maria brought them tiramisu and ice cream. "Oh, wow. Maria, would you adopt me?"

"In a heartbeat, honey," Maria answered, patting her cheek. "But I didn't make this. The chef did."

"Would he adopt me?"

"I'd have to lock him up if he did," Flack told her.

"This is fantastic," Kate raved, closing her eyes as she ate her dessert. "And full of calories." She laughed. "What the hell. I'll do an extra five miles to work it off."

"You're perfect the way you are," Flack told her immediately. "You've got a great figure."

"Really?" Kate felt the smile stretch back to her ears. "You think so?"

"You're beautiful," Flack told her seriously. "You know that already."

"I've got red hair," she reminded him. "Guys prefer blondes, I'm told."

"Guys like girls who make them tick." Flack took her hand over the table. "You make me tick."

"That's good. I think."

He gave her a grin. The one designed to make her melt, she thought. "That's good."

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"Tell me more about your family," Flack said as the strolled along again. Kate had begged for some air after her dinner.

"There's me and Tara," Kate began, slipping her hand into his again. "We were late babies for our parents. They were in there forties when they had us."

"Wow," Flack whistled. "That must have been tough."

"Not really. They wanted us, so they went out and did the whole IVF thing. Then they had us and we settled in Chicago."

"You went to the police Academy there. Did your parents have any objections to you being a cop?"

"Plenty," Kate said wryly. "Daddy told me it was no place for a wee girl." She mimicked her father's Irish brogue perfectly.

"They're Irish, then?"

"Born and raised in County Clare," she told him. "In the West. A small seaside village called Kilkee. They moved when we were eight. We settled in Chicago then."

"Wow," Flack said. "Can you speak Gaelic?"

"Of course," she said. "We rarely do, though. Unless we don't want people to understand us."

"Are your Ma and Pop still in Chicago?" Flack asked her.

"No, they're in Florida right now. They have a house there." Kate shivered a little as the breeze rose.  
"Here," Flack offered, taking off his jacket and draping it along her shoulders. He drew her into his side. "You fit pretty well under there."

"I do, don't I?" Kate agreed, smiling at him. She felt like she hadn't stopped smiling all evening.

"What about Dee?" Flack asked.

Kate arched a brow at him. "Am I being interrogated, Detective?"

He just smiled and leaned down closer to her. "Have you something else in mind?"

Gathering all her courage, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, bringing her up against him, kissing her back. Kate burrowed into him, warmth spreading through her at the feel of his lips on hers.

The shrill beep of her pager interrupted them. Flack swore under his breath and stepped back from her, noting the flushed face and bright eyes.

She pulled it from her hip and looked at it. "It's the Lab." She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Don. I have to take this." She was pulling out her cell and calling the lab back. "Hey, it's Kennedy. Ok. Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Rolling his eyes, Flack reached out for her hand. "Let's get you to the lab."

"I can take a cab," she protested. "I don't mind."

"It's a date," Flack informed her scornfully. "I'm supposed to walk you to your door and kiss you goodnight there." He scowled. "I'll walk you to the lab and kiss you there instead."

"Deal," Kate agreed.

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"I had a really great time," Kate told Flack as he paid the cab driver and walked up to the door of the lab. "I know people always say that, but I did. So I'm saying it. I mean it. I - "

Flack kissed her quickly. "Stop babbling. Go inside. And call me when you get home."

"Ok," she agreed, wondering how her brain could function when her it was turned to happy grey mush. "Don?"

"Yep?"

"Can we do this again?" It cost her to say the words, certain he'd think she was too forward.

"That's a given," Flack replied. "You didn't think we wouldn't, did you?"

Kate was still smiling as she got off the elevator. The lab was in darkness. A quick glance at her watch told her that it was after twelve thirty. Most of the lab techs didn't work nights, save a select few who needed the overtime.

Glancing around, she headed back down to reception and picked up the phone. Dialling dispatch, she asked them where her crime scene was.

"Who called you in?" The dispatcher was confused. Kate could hear it in her voice. "We don't have any reported homicides that the staff on duty can't handle."

"Somebody interrupted my date to call me in," Kate snapped, even as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "Someone's head will roll for this." She slammed down the phone and headed towards the elevator again.

Footsteps behind her made her freeze. She whirled around, but nobody was there. "Hello?"

Groping in her bag for her weapon, she clicked off the safety and began to walk slowly towards the footsteps. "Who's there?"

They sounded again, behind her. She whirled around, gun raised.

"Don't shoot!" Gregor, the burly security guard threw his hands in the air. "It's only me."

"I nearly shot you!" Kate exclaimed, her knees going weak with relief. "Why didn't you ID yourself?"

"I only just came up now," Gregor explained. "When I heard footsteps in the hallway."  
Kate felt a trickle of something like ice run down her back. "I wasn't in the hallway," she whispered. "It was someone else."

Gregor immediately drew his own gun. "Stay here."

"No!" Kate shot out a hand to grab his arm. "We'll call the police house across the way. Don't."

"Ma'am," Gregor said bluntly. "I'm a security guard. And unless I'm mistaken, you're a cop. It's probably nothing, but we need to check it out."

Ordering herself to pull it together, Kate nodded. "I'll take the labs," she said. "You head down towards the main office. Meet you at the elevator."

She walked steadily, despite the unease she felt. Methodically checking each room, she was relieved to find that there was nobody there.

She found Gregor at the elevator, tapping a foot and scribbling in his notebook. "Only person here is one of the lab techs. Derek somebody."

"Ames," Kate remembered. "He screwed up some of my lab work the other day."

"Well, he's gone home now," Gregor told her. "He's got a date with an internet floozy."

"Well for some," Kate groused. "I had to cut mine short."

"I'll go around again," Gregor said. "Just to be sure."

"Night," Kate called after him. She took out her cell and tapped a quick text to Tara to let her know that she was on her way home.

Movement out of the corner of her eye made her look up. A shadow was in the stairwell. Instinct made her draw her weapon again and follow. "Police," she called out, bursting into the stairwell. "Police! Stop or I'll shoot."

The footsteps ran down the main flight towards the morgue. Knowing that someone would be working down there at this time of the night gave Kate some extra courage.

She chased the shadowy figure down the stairs, cursing the heels that slowed her down. When she reached the morgue, she was sweaty and breathless. She cautiously approached the doors, gun held up in front of her. "NYPD," she called out loud. "Come out with your hands up."

It occurred to her that she sounded like a clichéd cop from one of the movies she'd adored as a child. "I said come out with your hands up."

There was no answer. The morgue was eerily empty. She did a fast sweep of the room, doing her best to ignore the autopsy table. There was nobody there, she thought. Great.

"Aren't you the idiot, Kennedy," she muttered to herself, putting her gun back in her bag and blessing the long straps that had kept it around her shoulders while she ran. "Running down after a figment of your imagination."

She froze suddenly, feeling the hairs rise on her neck. The lights went out with a snap. Her throat closed up, panic threatening to choke her. "This isn't' funny," she called out, fumbling in her bag for her cell phone. "I'm not the rookie anymore."

The footsteps sounded behind her again, and she abandoned all pretence and ran for the door. Her breath hitching, she fumbled with the handle, cursing when she couldn't open it. An animal panic unlike any she'd experienced before made her drop her bag.

Sobbing, she scrabbled to find her gun in the dark, willing her eyes to adjust to the dark. "Admit, come on!" She tugged wildly at the door. "Come on!"

She felt the pain in the back of her head and saw stars explode behind her eyes. It was the last thing she remembered.

**Please don't hate me!! I've got the next chapter almost finished I swear. I hope you all liked it. Please review. I love when people review. I don't even mind the criticism!**


	13. I've Got You

**Thank you to all who reviewed. I'll try get to you all in a pm as soon as possible. A special shout out to Brown Eyed Girl, Aphina and Madison Bellows who were most helpful. **

**Elizabeth; I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave it like that but it was really late and I was exhausted. I'll be good, I swear!**

**Shane Vanson: You are as good to keep reading. I'm glad you liked it!**

**Dol: You came up with some of this, so I'm dedicating the chapter to you! **

**For all those I didn't mention, don't think I don't appreciate it. I really do. I Just don't have the list in front of me right now! I promise to pm you all as soon as possible**

**Chapter 13. I've got you.**

Pain. It made her moan out loud, made nausea rise in her throat. Her head felt like her brain was being squeezed in a vice. She felt wetness on her cheeks and smelled blood.

Panic. It was her first instinct as through the haze covering her eyes, she saw a shadowy figure tying her hands and feet. She heard the mocking laugh, and felt herself being lifted and put on a hard surface. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. It was no good.

The scientist in her told her that she'd been hit hard on the back of the head, and no doubt had done damage when she fell.

Despite herself, her eyes rolled in her head and she felt herself go under again.

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When she woke again, she was sure that she was blind. It was pitch dark, like the power had gone out.

She kicked out and felt her legs hit a surface about two feet above her. Fighting the nausea that was still threatening, she attempted to stretch out her arms. Thanking God that she was small, she wriggled until she hit a dead end about three feet from her own bare feet.

"Calm," she spoke out loud, listening to the sound of her voice echo back at her. "Get your bearings. Take stock of the situation. Oh, God, don't panic."

Stretching her arms up over her head, she hit another wall above her.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized that she was boxed in. Running her hands along the surfaces around her, she realized that she was in a metal enclosure. She banged on it, the bracelet she wore making a clanging noise.

"Help!" She screamed it aloud until her throat was raw, tears running down her face. "Help me, please!" Through whatever it was holding her in; she heard the sound of her phone ringing.

She thrashed wildly, bucking and shoving at the obstacle above her head. When that didn't work, she wriggled down and kicked at the one preventing her escape at her feet.

Finally, when her feet and hands were raw, she stopped, chest heaving. She forced herself to be calm, to not panic.

Think, Kate. Think. What's the last thing you remember? The date with Flack.

Flack! She almost wept with relief. Flack would miss her. If she wasn't home by eight, he'd call to the house and Tara would tell him she hadn't come home. He'd triangulate her cell. He'd find her.

She'd been in the morgue, she remembered, hissing at the vicious pain in her head. Oh God, the morgue. She inhaled, smelling the metal around her. Fresh panic rose in her throat as she realised where she was.

She was in one of the refrigerators used to keep the bodies in storage.

The thought was enough to make her scream out loud again. She screamed and kicked and howled until she was exhausted and fell limply back to the metal under her.

Calm, Kate, she repeated over and over. Breathe. Breathe.

"You're not going to die," she told herself over and over. "Are these things soundproof? Oh God, are they airtight?" She slowed her breathing down, "What time is it? Morgue staff starts at eight am unless there's a homicide."

For the first time ever, she prayed for a murder to take place. It occurred to her that if she could hear her phone, then someone outside could hear her. Air could be a problem, she realised, fighting back hysteria.

She began to count, the rhythm giving her something other than the fact that she was trapped in a metal coffin and nobody knew where she was. One. Two. Three. Kick. One. Two. Three. Kick.

"Oh say can you see," she warbled, the eerie quiet unnerving her more than the fact that she was inside a refrigerator in the morgue. Somebody had to realise she was there. The dead didn't make noise.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flack rolled over in bed, a smile on his face as he remembered the previous night. Kate had been like a breath of air in the stuffy city.

Glancing at the clock, he realised that it was six thirty and he needed to get up and going unless he wanted to be late.

Hauling himself out of bed, he checked his cell and frowned when he saw that there were no messages. Kate had promised to call.

Shrugging, he stripped off and jumped in the shower. He'd be seeing her shortly anyway.

He whistled to himself as he got dressed and grabbed a quick cup of coffee. Pulling out his cell phone again, he dialled Kate's number to see if she was up and ready to go.

"You have reached Detective Kennedy. Please leave a message and I'll call you back."

Flack frowned again. Something was off. He clipped his badge to his belt and checked his weapon.

Wondering if she'd slept in, he locked his own door and knocked on the door of 4C.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tara heard the knock and groaned at the intrusion into her sleep. "Kate," she mumbled, pulling herself out of bed, as the knocking grew more insistent. "You're a dead woman."

She shuffled to the door, passing a rumpled looking Dee on the way.

"Who's that?" Dee yawned, rubbing her eyes. "And where's Kate? Isn't she working this morning?"

"Probably slept in," Tara muttered. "Go wake her, would you?"

She pulled the door open and glared at Flack. "Waking the dead, Flack?"

"Good morning to you too," Flack said cheerfully, rumpling her hair and laughing as she shied back from him and curled her lip menacingly. "Where's Kate?"

"She's in bed," Tara told him, rubbing her stomach and grimacing.

"You ok?" Flack asked her.

"Fine," she replied. "Just a little nauseous."

"Hey," Dee greeted Flack as she came up the hallway. "Want coffee?" She looked around, confused. "Where's Kate?"

"Isn't she in bed?" Tara demanded.

"No," Dee said slowly. "She isn't."

"Where is she?" Tara rounded on Flack. "Did she stay with you last night?"

"She got a callout," Flack was pulling out his cell phone even as Tara strode to the phone on the hall table. "Kate, it's Don. Call me when you get this. Or call Tara." He hung up and turned to Tara, who was looking at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Flack, where is she?"

"Calm down, T," Dee went to her friend to run a comforting hand up her back. "We'll call the lab and find out who was on with her."

Flack was dialling Mac as the two women turned to him. "Hey, Mac. It's Flack here. Have you got a twenty on Kate?" He listened. "Ok. I'll check with Stella."

"Well?" Tara demanded as he hung up. "What did he say?"

"He's at home," Flack told her, worry clawing at his own gut. "Has Kate ever worked all night and forgot to tell you?"

"My cell!" Tara dashed to her room, returning with her phone and a charger. "It died last night," she explained, plugging it in. She waited patiently for it to beep. "She had to work late. That was at twelve forty five." She looked at Dee. "Something's wrong. I know it."

"Ok," Dee said calmly, even though she was far from calm. "Let's go call the lab and ask someone to page her. It's still only seven fifteen."

Tara's eyes were huge in her pale face. "I was out last night with Gary. What if something's happened to her and I didn't know about it?"

"Don't," Flack ordered firmly. "Don't speculate until we know. She could be at the lab." Please God, he thought fervently. "I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Adam?" Flack pounced on the first person he saw as he strode into the crime Lab. Tara had been pacing the floor when he left, worry coming off her in waves. Dee had been slightly calmer and certainly able to hold it together.

"Hey, Flack," Adam greeted the detective. He noted the worried frown etching a line between Flack's eyes and got up off his stool. "What's wrong?"

"Have you been on all night?"

"No," Adam answered. "Steve and Derek were on late last night, but they signed out at twelve thirty and left. Why?"

"Have you seen Kate?" Flack was pacing the floor, listening to Kate's voicemail for the third time in twenty minutes. This time it hadn't even rang, just gone straight to voicemail.

"Kate, please call me. Or Tara. Please." Flack repeated the same message he'd left three times already and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Adam, can you remember the last time you saw her?"

"Saw who?" Danny asked, coming into the room, followed by Stella. His blue eyes were ringed with dark circles, his fair hair standing on end.

Stella didn't look much better. Her green eyes were red rimmed with fatigue and she looked like she'd sleep standing up.

"Flack? You ok?" Stella had asked the question and come to stand beside him. "Don?"

"Kate," Flack said heavily. "She didn't come home last night, Stell."

"She was on call," Danny said immediately. "She probably got a callout. I'll check with Hawkes."

"She didn't come home," Flack repeated. "She got called in." He paced the floor, too agitated to stand still. "We were out. A date." He smiled. "Finally asked her."

"What happened?" Stella asked gently. "Did you leave her here?"

"Dropped her to the door," Flack answered. "She said she'd call when she got home. I should have waited."

"Hawkes said that there were only two cases last night," Danny reported, putting his cell in his pocket. "Ours was a DB over on the corner of forty second and Seventh and Hawkes got a old lady that was strangled for her disability allowance."

""Did Kate go out to him?"

"No," Danny replied, shaking his head. "She didn't. I asked him to check the book."

"Where the hell is she?" Flack demanded. "Tara is half crazy with worry and I can't reach her."

"Calm, Flack," Danny advised. "We'll check with Mac and ask him if - "

"Already done," Flack interrupted. "He didn't call her in. He's at home."

"It's eight," Stella announced, looking at her watch. "She's due at work now. Hang in there for a few minutes. She might show. "

"She isn't here," Flack snapped at her. He closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "Sorry, Stell. I didn't mean - "

"She's got a hold of you," Stella said softly. "I wondered when that would happen."

"I like her," Flack admitted. "A lot. And I'm worried, Stell. I'm not used to feeling like this."

"I know," she said, squeezing his hand. "I know what worry feels like."

"I'll go check the ladies room," Adam declared. He got as far as the door and blushed. "Um, Stella, maybe you should check the ladies room."

Flack smiled despite his concern. "That's probably a better idea." His pager went off, making him curse. "I need to take this. Can you call me if you see her?"

He went outside to call the station and tell them he'd be late.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate was so tired. Her legs felt like lead. She'd counted and kicked for what seemed like forever and nobody had come to let her out. She was so sleepy, and the cold had seeped into her bones.

She could barely feel her legs. Was that a bad sign? The thought made her snigger a little.

"Snap out of it," she ordered herself, giggling again.

One. Two. Three. Kick.

Someone had to hear her. Although she'd been in here for days and nobody had come.

One. Two. Three. Kick. And kick again.

The noise of her bare feet hitting the metal around her reassured her that she was still alive. She wasn't dead.

One. Two. Three. Kick.

She was beyond tears. Beyond fear. She had to accept that nobody was coming to get her out of here.

"I'm going to die in a refrigerator." She spoke the words aloud. They sounded tinny to her ears. "I'm going to die in a morgue refrigerator."

One. Two. Three. Kick."

A noise outside made her freeze in the act of kicking out again. She could hear voices.  
One. Two. Three. Kick.

They're not real, she realised in despair. They're not real and there's nobody there.

She began to scream and kick again, fresh panic giving her a new energy.

"Help me!"

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Sid Hammerback opened the door to his palace, singing to himself. The morgue was his kingdom, the place he spent most of his waking hours.

It was his second home. The work he did there gave the dead a voice. He helped the police to protect and serve by taking the murdered apart to see what had killed them.

A clanging noise caught his attention. He spun around and saw a bag lying on the floor, the contents lying beside it.

Tutting at the carelessness of his staff, he went to pick it up. Noticing the gun lying on the ground beside it, he frowned and took a closer look. The badge lying next to the gun was one he recognised as a police officer's.

The clanging sounded again, making him look around, certain that one of the morgue staff was playing a practical joke.

"Evan?" He advanced slowly on the little room off the main autopsy area that was often used as a bedroom when somebody had to stay over. "Evan, if that's you, this isn't funny."

What sounded like a wail made him jump in fright. "I mean it, Evan. If you're behind this then I'm going to report you."

"Hey, Sid," Evan Tremaine said cheerfully as he strode into the room from the main entrance. "What's up?"

Sid let out the breath he'd been holding. "You idiot!" He put the gun and badge into the canvas bag and put it aside on the counter. "You scared me half to death."

"Funny," Evan chuckled. "That's real funny, boss." He rubbed his hands together, making Sid laugh. "Who's first?"

"First, "Sid mused as he clipped on his glasses and consulted his clipboard. "First, is the victim of last night's homicide. We'll take Stella and Danny's victim first, I think."

"Which one is he in?"

"That one," Sid replied, pointing to the refrigerator in the corner. "He's in that one there. Labelled, Evan. They're all labelled."

"This one isn't," Evan said, pointing to one nearest him. "It has no sticker on it."

Sid frowned and moved closer. "I wonder. Oh well." He turned back to his clipboard, ticking off a list of the bodies that had been autopsied already.

The sound of pounding and a low, keening sound made him drop his clipboard and swing around, ready to confront Evan. "What the hell are you playing at, Evan!"

Evan held up his hands, his face white. "I ain't playing, Sid. Honest. I didn't do anything."

"Jesus," Sid exclaimed as the pounding weakened. "Open that refrigerator."

Evan just stared at it, apparently paralysed with fright. "Me?"

"Oh for God's sake," Sid said crossly. "Are you afraid of zombies?" HE pulled the door open. "It's probably just a - "

Evan let out a yell of fright as Sid pulled out the base and a pair of terrified green eyes stared up at him. He rushed out the door, yelling for security at the top of his lungs.

"Kate?" Sid looked in amazement at Kate Kennedy's white face. Her lips were tinged blue and her hands were tied. They were also bruised and bleeding. "Oh, honey."

"Sid," she rasped. "Sid?"

HE was already dialling upstairs for Mac.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ok, Sid," Stella was saying into the phone. "Just calm down and - what?" She looked over at Flack, who had come back into the lab at the sound of the ringing phone. Motioning wildly to him, she thanked Sid and hung up. "She's in the morgue, Flack."

Flack was running out of the door and down the stairs as she called out to him.

Bursting in the doors of the morgue, a place he usually avoided if he could, he spotted Kate sitting on one of the sliding trays used to store bodies.

"Kate?" He rushed to her side, taking her hands in his, touching her face gently. "Kate?"

"Somebody locked her in here," Sid was telling Stella and Danny, who had dashed after Flack. "We heard a noise, and I opened the refrigerator. She was in here."

Kate was looking at them, but not speaking. She seemed to be in shock.

"Kate?" Flack brushed at her tangled hair and tipped her face up to his. "Can you tell me what happened?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide with fright. She was shaking violently, hard jolts that made her hands jerk in his larger ones. "No." Her voice was a croak. "I chased someone down here. Then, pain. In my head."

"Did you see who attacked you?" Flack asked gently, draping a blanket over her shoulders.

"No." She allowed Sid to check her hands and feet, wincing as he pressed to check for broken bones. "I only heard footsteps behind me. And I woke up in there."

"Ok," Flack murmured to her as she wavered. "It's ok. I'm just going to call Tara and let her know you're ok."

"She'll be worried, "Kate said slowly. Her eyes were glassy with shock. "She always worries." She looked up at Flack. "Can I go home now?"

"We have to process you," Stella said gently. "You can't remember, so we have to check if you were - "

"I wasn't," Kate said firmly. "I wasn't. I want to go home." She looked up at Flack, who was clearly torn between wanting to get her checked out and wanting to wrap her up and take her home where she'd be safe.

"She's not seriously injured," Sid told them, his own face pale. "She wouldn't have died in there, but she could have - "

"I want to go home," Kate repeated desperately. "I'm ok. Please, Don." She turned big green eyes to his blue ones. "Please. I want to go home."

"Kate," Danny said quietly. "You know we have to check if you have any DNA from your attacker on you."

"I don't," Kate repeated, her voice rising. "I don't have anything. He just hit my head and locked me in there!"

"You're bleeding," Sid announced. "You need to go to a hospital."

"No!"

"Kate, come on," Flack pleaded. "Let me take you. I can have Tara meet you there."

"I want Tara," Kate said, her voice sounding like a child's. "I want Tara."

"Shock," Sid muttered to Stella and Danny. "She's in shock. She'll be ok as soon as she processes it in her own head."

"Don?" Kate rested her head on Flack's shoulder as he scooped her up in his arms.

"What is it?"

"Will you stay with me? I don't want to be on my own."

He cradled her like a child. "I'll be right here."

She closed her eyes and let herself slip into darkness again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flack watched as Kate slept in the hospital bed. Her face was still too pale, her hand bruised and her feet cut.

Anger swept through him, followed by helplessness. They hadn't found a thing. Whoever had done this to her had planned and executed it perfectly. No evidence. No cameras. Nothing.

Tara sat in the chair opposite him, watching her sister sleep. Her own face was still white, her eyes red rimmed from crying.

"She got more roses," Danny had confided to them. "And some phone calls to her cell."

"Do you think somebody's out to hurt her?" Tara asked, interrupting his thoughts. She was holding Kate's hand in hers. Dee had volunteered to go get coffee.

"I don't know," Flack answered softly, watching as Tara stroked the hair back from Kate's face. "I don't know."

"She loves her job," Tara said. "She loves it. She's a cop. Not supposed to be hurt like that in her own building." Her voice broke a little.

"I'm going to take care of this," Flack promised her, reaching over to take Tara's hand in his.

"You really like her," Tara said quietly. "I can tell."

"She matters," Flack answered honestly. "She matters. That's all I've got for now."

Tara stood up, stretched. She leaned down to kiss her sister's cheek and then surprised Flack by kissing his cheek. "That'll do. For now."

"I've got coffee," Dee announced, poking her head around the door. "Here, Don."

"Thanks," Flack gratefully accepted the coffee. "Dee? Why don't you take Tara out for some air?"

"Call me if she wakes," Tara ordered before leaving him alone, despite her instincts telling her to stay with her sister.

Flack continued to watch Kate sleep. She twitched a little, murmured. Her hands gripped the blanket restlessly. He watched as her eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened.

"Hey," he said softly. "You scared us."

"Hey," she rasped. Her throat was raw from screaming. "Tara?"

"I'll get her," Flack said, getting up.

"No." She gripped his hand. "Don't leave me."

"I won't," he told her, stroking her cheek gently. "It's ok."

"I thought I'd die in there," Kate said hoarsely. She was trembling again. "Don?"

He reached out and took her hands gently, not wanting to hurt her. "I'm here."

Kate closed her eyes, tears leaking from under her eyelids. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not telling you about the flowers and the calls. I'm sorry." Her voice broke and she began to sob, the terror and the pain in her hands and feet finally catching up to her.

Flack reached out and held her. "It's ok," he murmured into her hair as she burrowed into his chest and held on. "I've got you. It's ok."

Outside the door, Tara watched them and smiled to herself. "We can go home now," she told Dee, who nodded. "He'll watch over her."

**Hope that made ye all happy and gave the addicts a fix. All reviews gratefully appreciated!**


	14. Life's Not That Bad

**A/N So sorry this is taking so long! I've hit a wall and finding time to write is hard this week! I promise to try and get back on track this week and get up to date on all my stuff. **

**Elizabeth: Thank you for the compliments, you're making me blush! I'm glad you liked it. **

**BEG75: Cheers for the review. I never knew how much they boost a person until I posted this. I don't like the dark. I can just about handle enclosed spaces so the terror was easy to write! Nice work on Memories of Brooklyn too. I'm really enjoying it! **

**Kerber1920: He does care. But he's a guy so it takes something happening for him to admit it! Glad you liked it. **

**Hockeymom: Lol I have an imagination alright. That was based on an idea my good friend Dol gave me and I actually dreamed about it, so it was easy enough to write! He's pretty weird alright, and the gender is the only hint you're getting! Flower boy is going to cause immense trouble. Watch this space. **

**Laplangurl: It is a guy, and although I hadn't planned for him to be punished **_**quite **_**that way, it's a good idea lol!**

**Hope4sall: I agree about Flack being with her. I didn't have the patience to make him wait anymore and Kate is the type of girl who would be good for him (I hope!). Thanks for reading. **

**Dol: I won't leave you hanging don't worry. And thanks for the advice. God will reward you (",) **

**I am Irish, I speak Irish English. I may not always get it quite right and anything that sounds off put it down to the Paddy in me! **

**Chapter 14. Life's Not All Bad. **

Kate's head shot up at the sound of a knock at the door. "Tara?" The house was quiet. "Tara? You there? Dee? "

The knocking grew more insistent and she struggled off the couch, wincing at the pain in her feet. Almost twenty four hours after she'd been released from hospital and despite keeping off them, they still stung a little.

Pumps for her for the next while, she thought with a grimace. Being built like Santa's little helper was not a plus in her line of work. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she growled as the doorbell pealed. "Keep your hair on."

Just as she was about to open the door, she froze. What if somebody she didn't know was at the other side. She backtracked, heading for her purse and the trusted Glock inside. With her weapon firmly in hand, she felt a little better about being alone in her apartment.

Peeping through the spy hole, she saw nothing. Telling her that it was probably kids playing didn't do anything to alleviate the shiver of fear that ran through her.

She cautiously opened the door an inch, peered around the jamb. The corridor was empty. On the floor outside her door was a parcel. "What the hell?"

Instinct had her eying it warily, wondering if it was something sinister. Deciding it was too compact to be anything that could hurt her, she picked it up and took it inside, shutting the door behind her.

She located her cell, dialled Tara's number. "Hey, it's me. Where are you guys?"

"_Getting a present to take to the christening_," Tara answered cheerfully. "_We though that we'd take a teddy bear. Little girls c_an _never have enough teddy_ _bears."_

"The christening," Kate said stupidly. "What christening?"

"_Hello! Earth calling Kate! Remember? Detective Taylor's daughter? We picked up a bottle of wine to take, too."_

Kate was opening the envelope in front of her as Tara was talking. A glossy seven by five photograph fell out of it. "I totally forgot," she admitted to Tara. With everything that happened, I- oh God."

"_Katie?"_ Tara's voice sounded far away through the buzzing in her ears. "_Kate?"_

I'm ok," she managed, staring in horror at the photo in front of her. "I'll be ready when you come home. See you later!" She hung up quickly and pressed a hand to her mouth.

The picture was of her, unconscious and bound and lying on the floor of the morgue. She was pale and waxy looking. If she hadn't been present and still very much alive, she would have sworn she was looking at a corpse. She rummaged through the rest of the parcel, unearthing more photographs of herself, all varying sizes, all of the same shot.

Her cell phone rang, startling her. She picked it up when she saw Flack's id flashing. "Hello?"  
"_Hey_," he said warmly. "_Just checking in to see how you're doing. You ready to go_?"

"I'm not, actually," she lied, frantically picking up the photographs and shoving them back in the envelope. "But if you give me thirty minutes I can be."

"_You ok_?"

"Fine," she said, keeping her voice light and even. "I'm great. I was sleeping, that's all. You woke me."

"_Sorry."_ He sounded contrite. "_I'll drop by and get you in a half hour."_

"No, don't," she answered quickly. "You'll be late. The godfather shouldn't be late. I'll meet you there. "She smiled when he hesitated. "Don, I'll go with Tara and Dee. We'll be fine. I promise."

"_Ok,"_ he agreed reluctantly. "_But if you need me –_ "

"I'll call," she promised, before saying goodbye and hanging up.

She pressed a hand to her stomach and regarded the small parcel in front of her suspiciously. Gingerly, she picked up a second envelope and opened it. She recognized the pictures in that one as her from the shot taken on her first day in the academy to her graduation.

Press clippings of her various cases from her time in the Chicago PD fell out onto her lap from a third envelope. Letting out a low moan, she stuffed them all back into the little box and slammed on the lid. Her breathing was fast and erratic, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her cell phone rang again, making her cry out in alarm. Id withheld, she noted. "Kennedy?"

"_Did you like my present?"_

Closing her eyes, she fought to remain calm. "Who is this? What do you want from me?"

"_It's for everything you didn't do,_" the mechanical voice said with a note of glee. "_For everything you did, and didn't do_."

"Who is this?" She shouted it into the phone, cursing when the caller disconnected.

"Kate?" Tara rushed into the apartment, dropping her bags on the floor in her haste to get to her sister. "Kate? What happened?"

"He called, "Kate told her, voice shaking. "He called me and left me this and – "

"I'm calling Don," Dee said, eyes wide as she took in the scene. The usually calm and rational Kate was trembling, her face ashen. Dee had never seen her like this, not even in Chicago when an undercover case had almost gotten her killed.

"Don't," Kate immediately cried. "He's got the christening. I'll tell him later. I will," she insisted as she noted the disbelief on her sister's face. "I will. Right now I'm going to get changed and not let this creep ruin a baby's christening."

"This creep locked you in a refrigerator morgue," Dee reminded her. She was picking up the bags Tara had strewn all over the hall. "He could try something else. Maybe worse."

"Not with a building full of cops and fire-fighters, he won't," Kate said. Some of the colour had returned to her cheeks now, and that stark terror was gone from her eyes. "I'll tell Mac. Just not today."

"Ok" Tara agreed reluctantly. "But you have to tell Flack. I can't go to New Orleans and leave you alone with this."

"New Orleans?" Kate raised her eyebrows. "When? Why? With whom?"

"Gary," Tara told her with a big smile. "He's taking me to meet his family. They live there."

"That's big news," Kate said slowly. "Are you ready for that?"

"I think I love him, Kate." Her sister's problems momentarily forgotten, Tara sat back, eyes glowing. "I've never felt like this about anyone."

"I think it's great," declared Dee, who was busily wrapping a huge gray bear with a baby bear in his arms. "If only we could find one for me, now."

"A building full of fire-fighters and cops," Kate reminded her friend. She got to her feet, took the parcel with a look of disgust. "I'll bag this and take it to work tomorrow," she told Tara, who was glaring at it.

"Kate." Tara held out a hand to her twin. "You can't ignore this one, honey. I want you to tell Don."

"I will, "Kate promised her, giving her a hug. "I promise. Now can I please go get ready?"

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Flack looked up as the doorbell rang and Peyton went to answer it. He was disappointed when Danny entered, looking around him.

Mac and Peyton had a large apartment near Central Park. It had been converted into their home from three others on the same floor. The décor was warm and cosy, lots of splashes of colour and big throw pillows lying around the place. Framed photographs sat on every available surface of various family members, of various weddings and of course, of the guest of honour, who was currently sleeping in the crook of Stella's elbow.

"Hey, Flack." Danny joined him, his usually cheerful demeanour somewhat glum. "What's up?"

"This godfather lark is not all fun and games," Flack said, tugging on his tie. "I have to wear these to work, why do I have to wear it outside it, too?"

"'Cause you look so pretty," Danny teased, tapping his beer to Brian Cambelli's as the other man joined them. "Hey, Cambelli, who invited you?"

"Messer," Brian shot back, grinning at him. "Your wife left you already?"

"Funny, Cambelli. You're real funny. At least I got a wife. You still a bachelor?"

"Pipe down, you two," Flack ordered. "Pretend to be civilised, would you?"

Brian's brown eyes twinkled. "So, Flack. Heard you had a date. Finally asked her, huh?"

Flack's eyes darkened at the memory of Kate's terrified face and the way she'd trembled in his arms after she woke up in the hospital. "Something like that?"

"I miss something here?" Brian asked, looking at the faces of the two men in front of him. He narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. Loo was saying something about an attack on one of the CSI's. Was that Kate?"

"Yup," Flack confirmed, taking a swig out of his beer. "It was."  
"She ok?"

"She's pretty shaken up, but she'll be ok. No major injuries and she'll be back at work tomorrow."

"Lindsay is back on Tuesday," Danny told them happily. "Can't wait to see her."

"You just can't wait to get – "

"Cambelli," Danny said, jabbing his elbow into Brian's gut. "You have a one track mind. "

"And it's a dirt track," Peyton chimed in, having heard the conversation. "Don, Kate and Tara have arrived." She pointed to the door, where Kate and Tara were standing, talking to Sid and Hawkes. "Sheldon is leaving. He and Adam are working tonight."

"I'll be glad when they get our hours straightened out," Kate told them as she walked over to where Flack was. "Hi, Brian. Danny." She smiled at Flack. "Hey, Detective."

"Hey yourself," he said with a grin. "Thought you'd never get here."

"And doesn't she look nice," Tara said, elbowing him in the ribs and smiling widely at Brian. "Hello, Fireman Brian."

"Nurse Tara," he returned with a dimpled grin. "How are you? Where's your friend the other nurse?"

"Right here," came the voice at his elbow. Dee passed one of the glasses she carried to Tara, the other to Kate. "Nice to see you again, Mr Cambelli."

"Please," Brian retorted. "It's Brian. "

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"Check those two out," Stella whispered to Kate. She had passed the still sleeping Claire to her father and was standing beside Kate.

"Who?" Kate was confused. "Nice dress, by the way." Stella looked stunning in a short black dress. It's full skirt and nipped in waist was perfect on her tall figure.

"Thanks," Stella smiled. Her smile disappeared as she spotted the livid bruising on the sides of Kate's hands. "Bet that hurts."

"Some," Kate admitted with a wry glance at the offending marks. "But I'll live." She laughed as Danny and Flack dropped an ice cube down Ty Davis's sweater. "Those two. How much do you bet he'll try to get them back before the evening's done?"

"Nice try," Stella told her. "Don't change the subject. Are you ok?"

"I'll tell you more later," Kate said softly. "I promise." At Stella's questioning look, she smiled reassuringly. "I'm ok, Stell. I'm a cop. And I live with two nurses."

"One of which is getting cosy with Brian Cambelli," Stella informed her, pointing to where Dee was standing next to Brian.

"She's really shy with guys," Kate sighed. "She can't see that they won't all be like Sam."

"Sam?"

"Long story. Cliff Notes version?" When Stella nodded, she continued. "Former boyfriend, slept with secretary. Repeatedly and at every opportunity. Cue heartbreak and much man bashing on the part of her redheaded friends."

Stella laughed. "I wouldn't go up against Tara," she remarked, watching as Tara thumped Flack on the back of the head. "She's small, but she's mean."

"Any word from Flynn?" Kate asked, wishing she hadn't as Stella's smile disappeared. "Sorry. Forget I asked."

"No, it's ok. I haven't talked to him in a few days. But he emailed me to say he was ok, so that'll have to do for now." Stella smiled at Mac as he joined them. "Great party, Mac."

"Thank you. Kate, how you holding up?"

"Fine, Mac," she answered. "I'll be back in tomorrow."

"Come find me when you do," Mac said with another smile for Stella. He went to where his wife was talking to some more of the police officers from the five five. She was exclaiming in delight over a huge life sized baby doll with bright red hair that the fire house had bought with them.

"Looks like you, Irish," Flack joked, putting an arm around Tara, who smiled sweetly before digging her stiletto heel into his foot.

Kate laughed as he yelped in pain and hobbled away. "I should go rescue him," she said to Stella, who nodded at her.

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"So, how do you like New York?" Brian Cambelli asked the small, slender woman in front of him. She wasn't his usual type, if he was honest. She seemed serious and quiet, a far cry from the leggy blondes and the engine worshippers that hung around the firehouse.

A lot of that going around, he thought with a wry smile, observing Flack's face as Kate sidled up to him. IN his humble opinion, Kate Kennedy was damn good for Flack. Anyone with half a brain could see that the Detective was what his Ma would have called sweet on her. And if her glowing eyes and smile were anything to go by…he shook his head and returned his attention to Deanna.

"I like it," she was saying in that quiet way of hers. "It's going to be a challenge."

"Hard to leave family behind," Brian said cautiously, wondering if she had a boyfriend he needed to consider before making his next move. "And people you love."

He was so obvious, Dee thought with a smile. Family and people she loved, indeed. "I don't have a boyfriend," she told him, resisting the urge to clap a hand over her mouth as soon as she said it. Mortified, she turned away. "I mean, I don't – I wasn't – "

Brian's smile was slow and wide. "That's the main obstacle out of the way," he remarked. "Leaves the way clear for me to take you out to dinner tomorrow night."

"I guess it does," Dee heard herself say. Inside she was doing her booty dance. "What time?"

"Eight thirty," Brian answered, calculating the amount of time he needed to make it home to change after his shift. "I'll pick you up."

She gave him another one of those quiet smiles. "Sounds great."

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"You what!" Tara squealed at her friend as Dee recounted her conversation with Brian.

"Ssh!" Kate hissed at her. "Keep your voice down." She looked around, but nobody had heard her sister's shriek. "Dee, that's great. He's a terrific guy."

"He's certainly cute," Dee said, her eyes straying to where Brian was talking to Flack and Davis. Danny was in the middle of the group gesturing wildly.

"They make quite the good looking picture," Kate said. "The tall, dark and handsome detective."

"The hunky fireman," Dee giggled.

"And the cute officer," Tara finished, making the other two stare at her. "What! Just because I've a boyfriend doesn't mean I can't admire the rest of the meat."

"Well," Kate managed between fits of laughter. "That's us told. Meat!"

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"What do you think they're laughing at," Flack asked Danny.

"I have no idea," Danny replied. "We're probably better off not knowing."

"They sure make a picture," Brian commented idly, looking over at the three women.

"Like three dwarves," Danny suggested, earning himself a cuff on both sides of the head. "Hey! Montana's a little person too! I just think it's funny the way they're all short, that's all."

"Messer, you're an idiot," Flack declared.

He looked over at them, silently agreeing with his friend. They did make a pretty picture. Kate's blue dress hugged her curves and complimented that red hair and pale colouring perfectly. Tara's bold, cherry coloured top and floaty white skirt was perfect for her. The picture was completed by Dee in her pretty blue skirt and white halter top.

"I'm calling dibs on the brunette," Brian drawled with a wink at Dee, who blushed scarlet and turned her attention to Tara quickly.

"Dibs?" Danny looked at the other man, wondering if he'd lost his mind. "Did you just say dibs?"

"Dibs," Brian confirmed. He looked over at Dee again, tapped his bottle to Danny's. "Messer, you are off the market, my friend. That just leaves more for me and Don here."

Danny snorted. "You guys are lucky. Who could resist me?"

"Some women like the ring," Flack told him, purely for the pleasure of seeing his face turn pale. "Turns em on."

"Jesus." Danny almost choked on the beer he'd taken a swig of. "Don't tell Montana that."

"Tell Montana what?" Stella asked. "What are you not telling Montana?"

"Hello, Stella," Danny said sweetly. "You look ravishing today."

She frowned at him. "Danny, are you behaving yourself?"

"Always," Danny protested, looking wounded. "I'm a happily married man. And my wife knows ten ways to kill a man and how to hide the body so it'd never be found."

"We all know that," Flack pointed out as Stella sniggered. "So what."

"So I don't, you know." Danny waved his beer, agitated. "Play around."

"Play around?" Kate asked, wandering over to join them. "Who's playing around."

Danny threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "I'm going to get another beer."

The rest of the group bust into gales of laughter as he scurried towards the big cooler set in the corner. Bosco, who had dropped in along with Faith Yokas and another female officer Kate knew to be Maritza Cruz, passed him a beer and winked over at Kate.

Flack eyeballed him. "I don't like that guy."

"You're mean." Kate eyed Flack. "He's not that bad."

"Don?" Peyton called from across the room. "Can you take Claire please? I want a picture of you and Stella with her."

"Go be photographed," Davis, who had stood silent through the whole conversation, teased. "I'll take care of your girl here."

"Hands off, Davis," Flack shot over his shoulder as he obediently followed Stella across the room and took his goddaughter in his arms.

"That's a picture," Tara murmured to Kate. "A real cute one." She smiled politely at Davis. "Hello." Turning to Kate, she gave an apologetic smile. "Katie, I have to go. I'm meeting Gary. See you at home?"

"Be good," Kate told her. "I'll be home."

Tara hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear. "Talk to Don, Katie. He's worried about you."

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"Are you going to tell me what's up?" Flack came up behind Kate where she stood at the front window, looking out on the street.

She let out a shriek and spun around, hands up in defence. "Don't!"

"Sorry." Flack could have kicked himself. How could he have forgotten that she'd been jumped from behind in the morgue? "Hey. It's ok." He ran a soothing hand down her arm.

In her flat pumps, Kate had to look up at him. Her head was about level with his chest and he felt clumsy and awkward next to her. "She's still sleeping." He indicated the baby asleep in his arms, one hand gripping his tie.

"She's beautiful," Kate said, touching the baby's cheek. "And I'm sure the pictures were lovely."

"Are you going to talk to me?" Flack demanded, wincing when she flinched away from him. "Kate, don't. I didn't mean to snap."

"I got a delivery this morning," she said, refusing to meet his eyes.

"More flowers?" His voice was lethally calm.

"Not this time. It was pictures. Photographs of me. In the morgue."

Flack stared in disbelief, his eyes stormy with anger. "And you didn't call me?"

"We've known each other for all of eight weeks, Flack," Kate retorted defensively. "We've had exactly one date. I didn't want to go calling you about something that really isn't your concern." She winced. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

"So what did you mean?"

"I meant that I didn't want to be all hysterical and female and – what are you laughing at?" Kate demanded.

"You are a female," Flack pointed out, biting back a grin. "And a damn fine specimen at that."

"Thank you. But you know what I mean. I didn't want to call you when-"

"We're not serious," Flack finished for her. "I get it."

"Good." Kate stared at the floor. "I'm sorry, Don. I didn't mean to be secretive. I would have told you. Just not until I got home."

"This mean I'm walking you home?" Flack teased, his smile making the butterflies in her stomach dance.

"No." When he looked disappointed, she smiled. "You're paying for the cab."

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"Thanks so much for having us, Mac," Kate told her boss, handing a gurgling Claire over to him. "It was really nice of you to invite Dee and Tara too."

"Our pleasure," Peyton told her with a smile. "It's a way for the rest of the minions to meet the great Detective Taylor." The last was said with a teasing glance at her husband. "They don't normally see this side of him."

"They see the boss," Mac pointed out. "Which I am to a lot of them."

"That doesn't mean you have to be separate from them all," Peyton argued cheerfully. "You need to mingle. See how there was a mixture of all the Crime Scene people?"

"Crime Scene people?" Flack raised his eyebrows. "Don't you mean the fantastic detectives, the brains from the lab and the drones from everywhere else?"

"Don, you will never change," Peyton scolded, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for the gift you gave Claire. She's going to love it."

"I need to tell Dee I'm going home," Kate told Flack. "Wait for me."

"She's got her own escort," Flack said. "Look over there?" He was pointing to where Dee was deep in conversation with Brian Cambelli, laughing at something he was saying to her.

"Well." Kate stared at them. "That's her sorted. Ok, we can go now."  
"I'll walk with you," Stella told them. "Danny's gone already. So are most of the uniforms."

"It was a great party," Kate mused as she strolled down the street slowly. Flack was walking on the edge of the pavement, signalling to a cab. "Stell, you take the first one."

"Night," Stella called as she got in the cab and waved.

"She seems a little happier," Kate commented to Flack as he kept an eye out for another cab. "Don't you think?"

"Stella's one of the strongest people I know." Flack put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, making Kate clap her hands to her ears. "Come on, Irish. In you go."

"She's not as unbreakable as you think," Kate argued as she moved over to make room for his long legs. "She's pretty upset right now."

"It's tough on her, having Flynn away so much. He shipped out not long after they were married and she gets lonely."

"She'll be better when he gets home," Kate mused, smiling as she noticed him playing with the ends of her hair. "You're always doing that."

"Can't help it. It's just sitting there."

"That's nice," she retorted, batting at his hands. "Stop it!"

They were still laughing as the cab pulled up outside their building. Flack paid the driver and slung an arm around Kate's shoulders as they walked inside.

"I want to show you those pictures," Kate told him, pressing the elevator call button and waving to Amelia Simmons, their neighbour. "You should see them. Then I'm taking them to Adam and Kendall tomorrow so they can run trace."

"Where's Kendall been hiding?" Flack asked her. "Good idea on the trace, by the way." He was struggling to keep his tone light and cheerful, not wanting her to see how angry the thought of someone scaring her like that was.

"She's been doing nights," Kate said. "You wouldn't see much of anyone when they're on the third watch."

"Tell me about it," Flack said with a roll of his eyes.

Kate took out her keys and put them in the lock. She went to go inside, her body freezing as she registered the darkness of the apartment.

"Kate?" Flack was right behind her, taking her hand in his. "It's ok. Come on."

She was trembling as she flicked the switch and light flooded the living room. "Sorry." She pressed her face into his shoulder. "Sorry."

HE stroked a hand over her hair and down her back. "Not a fan of the dark myself," he told her, wanting to take away some of the tension in her. He cocked his head to the side. "You hear that?"

Kate listened intently, straining her ears. The sound of soft sobbing could be heard coming from Tara's room.

"Tara?" She took off down the hall to her sister's door and threw it open, followed swiftly by Flack. "Tara? What's wrong?"

Tara lay on her bed, arms wrapped around herself. She was sobbing quietly into her pillow, her whole body quaking with the force of her tears.

"Tara? What happened?" Kate demanded, sitting on the bed and taking her sister in her arms. "Tell me."

"It's Gary," Tara sobbed. "He…he…I was…"

Kate's face turned grim and taut as she listened to Tara sob out the story. Flack hovered in the doorway, not wanting to intrude.

"He was sleeping with her all along," Tara sniffed and pushed back from Kate. "I never even knew it." She grimaced when she spotted Flack in the corridor. "Sorry, Don." Tears welled up again.

"It's ok," Flack came to sit next to her. He reached out a hand and squeezed hers. "Want me to have him killed for you?"

Tara managed a watery smile. "I might take you up on that."

"Just say the word."

Kate looked at Flack over Tara's shoulder and mouthed her thanks.

"I'll go," he said, leaning down and kissing her softly. "I'll see you in the morning."  
"Wait," Kate called, dashing after him. "Wait." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly. "Thanks."

"For what," he murmured, kissing her again.

She sighed and shivered a little as he kissed the side of her neck. "For not running away."

He pulled back. "Did you think that I'd be gone just because you have some loon sending you flowers?" "  
"And photographs," she reminded him, her eyes darkening. "There were photographs too." Now she shivered for a different reason. "I'm a little scared, Don."

He tightened his hold on her. "I know you are." He eased back from her so she could see his eyes. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Kate."

"You barely know me," she argued. "And you're getting involved in whatever this is and I don't want you to feel obligated to – "

"Shut up," Flack said simply. "I'm not obligated. Or being dragged into anything." He kissed her, hard enough to make her head spin. "I'm not letting anything happen to you."

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, and so sorry, I took forever! I'll be good. I'll get the next one up. I feel like I'm flopping a little so if anyone else thinks so, please tell me!! I welcome criticism it's the only way I can improve. Of course, those of you who want to tell me I'm wonderful, please feel free to do so!!**


	15. One Step Too Far

**Thanks to all who told me I was brilliant and to those who left me nice notes in my reviews. Thanks especially to katydid13 who gave me some great suggestions for the next couple of chapters.**

**Chapter 15. One Step Too Far.**

"You should have told me, Kate." Mac Taylor was not a happy man. He sat back in his chair and regarded the young CSI in front of him thoughtfully. "I need to be told about this sort of thing."

"I didn't want you to have to - "

"What? Help you out?" His grey eyes flashed. "Kate, you're a member of my team. A damn good detective. I happen to have requested you to join the team personally. "

Her head shot up. "You did?"

"I did. And to say I'm disappointed that you kept this from me is understating it."

Kate lowered her head, ashamed of the tears that threatened. "Sorry, Mac."

"That said, " Mac continued in a softer tone, "I want to know what's been happening and why you thought that you should keep it quiet."

"It began with the notes and flowers. Four of them in three weeks. Then there was the incident in the morgue."

"The one I heard about second hand from Stella," Mac interrupted. "The one you thought you could keep from me?"

Kate nodded. "That's the one. " She quickly highlighted the rest of the story, ending with the photographs and the phone call.

"And that's the only call?" Mac was taking carefully notes. "That's all you've got."

Kate nodded. "That's all so far. That's why I didn't want to tell you about it. What if it turns out to be nothing?"

"You were locked in the morgue refrigerator and scared half to death," Mac stated calmly. "That's not nothing."

"I've got the pictures in my locker," Kate told him. "I bagged them and took them in so I could run trace on them."

"Adam can do that," Mac said firmly. "I want you to go and write a detailed account of exactly what happened. I'm going to request security footage of your building and of your floor specifically."

"Is that necessary?" Kate asked. "I mean, do you think that this is serious?"

"Morgue refrigerator," Mac repeated. "I think that whoever this is, he's not dangerous. But he's certainly a little obsessed and that can lead to dangerous."

"You don't think he'd try anything at work, do you?" Kate asked, turning pale. "Mac, I don't want to have to give up work."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Mac said. "I want you to just be careful for now. Be very careful. Anything that's off, tell me. Or anyone else," he added with a pointed look at her. "I want you to - Lindsay!"

Kate swung around to see a very tired looking Lindsay walk into the office.

"Sorry," she said, backing out. "Didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to say hello. I'm back." With a little laugh, she swung around in a circle. "I missed this place."

"I thought you weren't back until tomorrow," Kate said in surprise. "Have you seen Danny?"

"No," Lindsay answered. "I got an earlier flight and thought I'd surprise him."

"I'm about to send him on a call," Mac said regretfully. "I'm sorry about this, Lindsay."

"A call?" Lindsay brightened. "Can I go too?"

"It's a bank robbery," Mac told her, laughing at her pleading face. "Don't you want to go home, get settled in?"

"Are you kidding me?" Lindsay grinned at Kate. "I can't wait to get back out there. I've been gone forever."

"Six weeks is hardly forever," Kate told her. "And I'm glad you're back. Maybe now that we have a full quota, we'll get some time off for a change!"

"You wish," Lindsay teased as they made their way to the ladies locker room.

"How's your Mom doing?"

"She's great. The cast comes off next week and my brother Carter and his wife Sara Beth are staying with her for a few weeks."

"Danny's going to be thrilled skinny," Kate commented. "I can't wait to see his face."

"How have things been around here?" Lindsay asked her as they pulled on their jackets. She clipped her gun and badge to her belt.

"Kate, I need you to go and meet Stella at her crime scene," Mac ordered as she passed by the office again. He was standing in the doorway. "And remember what we said. I'll be briefing the others later. Anyone who's on shift with you should know about this."

"Mac, I don't want this to take over my work," Kate argued. "I don't want to be the weak link in the chain."

"You're not," Mac told her firmly. "You're an important link that we don't want to lose."

"What was that about?" Lindsay asked curiously as they went to collect their kits and cameras.

Kate quickly filled her in, watching her brown eyes go huge with shock. "So now apparently I'm being careful and observant."

"That's not something to take lightly," Lindsay warned her. "You need to be careful and tell your sister to take precautions too. If this person is targeting you, he could try something on her too."

She squeezed Kate's hand as the other woman went white. "Let Mac take the lead on this one. He's really great in a crisis. " Her eyes darkened. "He was great to me when I needed him."

"You'll have to elaborate on that one another time," Kate said, curious now as to what had made Lindsay look so sad.

"Some other time," Lindsay agreed.

"Ladies," Mac said with a dry smile. "Can I trouble you to run along to your respective crime scenes?" He chuckled as the two blushed and scurried off in different directions. Sighing, he returned to his desk to look at the notes he'd taken from Kate's statement.

This could be a problem, he thought, picking up the phone and dialling the Chief of Detectives. "Hello, John? It's Mac Taylor. I think we have a problem."

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Kate was deep in thought all the way to the crime scene. She wondered what to do about Tara and Dee. Logic told her that they were in no danger, and if they were careful it was highly unlikely that any harm would come to them.

Logic doesn't always come into it, Kate, she reminded herself. Oh well. She would have to do a little digging of her own, that was all. Something had to be making this person target her for this.

Her jaw clenched as she remembered the night in the morgue. That one wasn't going to be let go, she vowed silently. That one would warrant payback.

She pulled up in front of a skyscraper with police cruisers parked around it. The usual crowd of reporters were there, she noted with disgust. Always the same. No respect for the dead.

Ordering herself to keep her mind clear and to take Mac's advice, she slipped on her sunglasses and looked up at the building, sighing as she saw what had prompted a callout. She grabbed her kit and ducked under the tape to go into the lobby.

Bosco and Davis were standing by the elevator, chatting animatedly about the football game. Or it could have been baseball, she thought as she shook her head. "Hello, boys."

"Well if it isn't the one who lived," Bosco teased with his usual cheeky grin. "Heard you had a rough night on Friday night." He grinned. "Never would have happened if you'd stuck with me instead of going for Junior."

"Shut up, Bosco," Davis admonished, slapping Bosco on the back of the head. "Come on, Kate. I'll take you up. Flack and Stella are already there."

"Frank Jamon, " Flack was saying to Stella as Kate entered the room. They were leaning out of the window, looking at the body hanging on by a rope. "This guy is a Rambo in the trading world. Half a billion in assets and trades commodities for a living."

"Wow," Kate said. "I thought betting on the NFL was tough. This guy bets on pork bellies."

"Pork bellies," Flack repeated looking disgusted. " And grain. How in the hell do you bet on grain?"

"What I don't spend, I put in the bank," Stella said. "Gambling is not my style."

"Me either, " Kate said, wrinkling her nose and looking around at the room. "Wow. This place is just like one big hard drive."

"How are you?" Flack asked softly, casting a look at Stella who was still peering out of the window. "Did you talk to Mac?"

"Not here," Kate said quickly. "I'll talk to you back at the lab. We've got work to do. " She noticed the flash of hurt in Flack's blue eyes and turned away. "What makes a hot shot like this jump out his window?"

"Bad day in the market?" Stella suggested, taking her camera from around her neck and snapping pictures of the computer on the dead man's desk.

"Hurricane Katrina," Flack added, his eyes on Kate, who turned away quickly. "Bird viruses. Instability in Korea. Do I need to go on?"

"Those cause the stocks to crash, or soar," Kate said thoughtfully. "But what would cause Frank Jamon to hang himself."

Flack shrugged and turned to the window again. "This is a risky business. Anything at any time can make the market tank."

"And I thought my job sucked, " Kate quipped brightly. She saw Flack look at her, clearly wondering what was going on. She turned back to the computer screens lining the wall. "Let's box this stuff, Stell. We can use it to find out what kind of debt this guy was really in."

"I'll call a couple of uniforms to do that," Flack offered, exiting the room. He gave her one look as he passed, making her sigh. This was going to be tougher than she'd thought.

Stella turned to Kate. "How are you?"

"Fine," Kate answered. When Stella merely looked at her, she sighted heavily. "Ok, so not fine. But I wont let this get in the way of my work. Mac is assigning a patrol unit to swing by the apartment block every couple of hours and Adam is running Trace on the photographs. He says it's going to take a while."

"This could be something sinister," Stella began, setting her camera aside and looking at Kate. "It could be a prank. I don't think it is," she hastened to add when Kate's eyebrows shot up. "I don't. But it could be someone's idea of a joke."

"Stella, he called me." Kate forced her voice to remain level. "He called me and asked me if I liked the present he left me."

"I know," Stella answered. Sympathy shone in her green eyes. "But all you can do is wait until he calls again and we track the call. Then we'll get him. "

"Getting him mightn't be that easy. And what if someone gets hurt while we're looking?"

"Is that why you were a little off with Flack?" Stella asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know," Kate replied. "I like him, Stell. I mean really like him. And we had a great time Friday night." She was pacing rapidly. "But I don't want him hurt or injured. If there is really some idiot stalking me, then the boyfriend is always the one they hit first."

"I think at this point its safe to say that you have an unwanted admirer with more than a healthy interest in you."

"Then you should understand that I can't risk anyone being hurt. As it is, there are uniforms coming around my building on patrol. At work, I have cops everywhere anyway. It's a pain in the ass. " Her eyes were stinging with tears." Stella, if he's not dating me then he wont' be hurt."

"That's ridiculous," Stella said bluntly. "Flack is a cop. He's a big boy and he's well able to take care of himself."

"I won't risk anyone being injured," Kate insisted. " The last note told me that these particular flowers were for everything he was going to do to me."

Stella's face hardened. "That's a threat to a police officer," she spat out. "This guy should hang for that alone."

Kate was a little surprised at her vehemence. "Hanging is a little severe, don't you think?"

"And man who threatens a woman or makes her afraid should be punished, " Stella said, her voice hard.

"You ladies done in here?" Flack was back, Davis in tow along with John Sullivan, his partner. Kate liked Sully. He was stocky and cheerful and always had a joke or story to tell. He was also a damn good cop.

"Are you our donkeys?" Kate teased, grinning at them.

" Looks like it," Sully said with a grimace. "How you doing, Kate?"

Kate threw up her hands. "Does everyone know that I got locked in the morgue?"

"You were locked in the refrigerator," Flack pointed out. "That's a first for us in the five five."

"Well hip hooray," Kate said crossly. "I'm the talk of the police house as well as the fire house. Wonderful."

"It's only because we care," Stella said gently. "You're one of us now. We take care of each other."

"I know, I know." Kate was ashamed of her earlier cranky attitude. "And I'm grateful. I'm just a little…"

"Thick?" Flack helpfully supplied. When Stella shot him a questioning look, he shrugged. "It's an Irish thing."

"Thank you, Detective, " Kate answered through gritted teeth. "I was looking for that exact word."

"No problem."

"Ok," Stella clapped her hands together. "Body hanging outside. We need to get him to the morgue so Sid can work his magic."

"Crane's been called," Flack told her. "It'll be a while."

"Ok," Stella consulted her watch. "Davis, you and Sully muscle this stuff downstairs. Kate, wait here with Flack for the body to be brought in. Take the usual swabs and samples. Pictures too."

"Will do," Kate agreed, feeling her stomach sink at the thought of being alone with Flack when she was so flustered inside.

"Let's go, " Sully motioned to Davis, who immediately picked up the first of the computers Stella had carefully unplugged. "I'm getting too old for this."

Kate started to follow them, but Flack's hand on her arm made her stop. She turned around to look at him. He kept one hand on her arm, keeping her from following the others down to the elevator.

"Flack, I need to check the hallway and the stairwell for evidence," Kate told him, looking over her shoulder. "Flack."

"What's going on with you?" He shut the door of the apartment. "Why are you brushing me off?"

"What are you talking about?" Kate asked, careful to keep her features schooled into a blank mask. "What's wrong?"

"You keep avoiding my questions," Flack spat out. His eyes were almost sizzling with temper. "I was worried about you last night, and you managed to get to work this morning without even waiting for me, and-"

"OK." Kate held up a hand, silencing him. "First, I'm a big girl. Second, just because I told you I was scared is not a reason for you to just pull out your white cruiser and sweep on in here."

Flack looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Are you serious?"

"Flack," Kate said slowly. "We've had one date. One. And you helped me through a scary experience."

"SO that's it," Flack said quietly. "You think that I'll be targeted because we're dating. " He paced up and down the room, agitation pulsing from him. "Kate, that's just plain stupid."

"Stupid or not, I can't take that risk, Don." Kate fought to keep her voice from wavering. "I won't. And Tara needs me right now."

"Tara might be a target too," Flack stated. "Have you thought of that?"

"Don't you dare tell me what I should think," Kate countered, her voice rising. "I've been locked in the damn morgue, in a fridge, let me add, and I'm trying to do what's right so that nobody is at risk until I find this guy."

"Would you listen to yourself?" Flack hissed at her, all pretences abandoned. "You can't just go off and find this guy yourself. You need to let people help you."

Oh, he was well and truly pissed, Kate thought, watching his jaw clench. "And if it's nothing?"

"If you think it's not nothing, then you're more of a fool than I thought," Flack said. He was still pacing. "People are worried about you, Kate. I'm one of them."

"It's nice of you to be worried," Kate replied. "I'm grateful for - "

"Screw grateful," Flack shouted. "Screw it. I don't want you to be grateful, Dammit, Kate, I want you to be ok."

"Don't yell at me, Don Flack," Kate yelled back. "I'm not talking about this anymore." She began to rapidly pace around the room, shining her flashlight into various corners and carefully picking up anything she thought was relevant.

Flack watched her and seethed silently. "You need to take a step back and think about this logically, Kate."

"I am. I'm collecting evidence as ordered."

She was pale, he noted. Dark circles ringed her green eyes and she was trembling a little. "I'm sorry. I didn't meant to upset you."

They were standing next to each other now, and suddenly Kate wanted nothing more than to lean on him and be held. The sound of someone coughing behind them made Flack swing around immediately. Davis stood there, face impassive. "Just wanted to get more of the computers from here."

"Go ahead." Kate got up to go and look out of the window." Crane's here. "

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"Heard you guys had a DB hanging from a window," Danny greeted her as she hauled her kit into the Trace Lab and pulled on her lab coat. He was grinning widely.

"Well, look here," Kate teased. "The cat that got the cream, I'm thinking." She smiled at him. "Lindsay's back."

"I know," Danny said. "She walked into the break room and just told me to move over and not hog the coffee." He sighed contentedly. "Best break I've had all morning."

"It's three pm Danny, " Kate reminded him. "You're off soon, aren't you?"

"At five," Danny told her, busily snipping off the ends of various Q-tips. "As soon as I run these to DNA, Mac said I can head home. They're backed up anyway so I won't have results until tomorrow."

"And you need to cook dinner for your wife," Lindsay told him as she came into the lab in time to hear the last. "Kate, Stella's looking for you. She's in Autopsy."

Kate looked at them over her shoulder as she left the lab. They were so cute, she thought with a smile. Danny leaned over and kissed his wife as she smiled at him.

"Enough to rot your teeth," Flack commented, making her jump. She hadn't heard him come in.

"Stop it," Kate told him, trying to smile. "They're happy. Leave them alone."

"Where you headed?" he asked her, following her down to the elevator.

"Autopsy," she answered, pressing the call button repeatedly. "Stella wants me."

"I'll go with you," he told her. "I need to see Stella anyway."

She was silent all the way to the basement. When she got off the elevator, he strode ahead of her, heading for the big double doors at the end of the corridor. "How's Tara doing today?"

When she didn't answer, he glanced back. She was standing in the middle of the corridor, her face leeched of colour. Her eyes were huge in her white face.

"Kate?"

She shook her head blindly. "I can't go in there."

He was beside her in two strides. "Kate, look at me. Look at me. That's it. Now." He had an arm around her, gently moving her towards the doors. "It's ok. I'm right here. Just go through the doors and Sid will be on the other side."

She closed her eyes as she went through the doors, opening them when she heard Sid's voice. Swallowing hard, she went towards the table where Frank Jamon was lying. "Hi, Sid."

"Hello, Kate," Sid said kindly, his keen eyes taking in her pallor. Flack was still with her, holding one of her hands. "Detective Flack, to what do we owe this unusual pleasure?"

"I was looking for Stella," Flack answered with a wink at Kate. "But maybe you can tell me some news about our friend here."

"Not yet," Sid told them. "I'm extremely busy today and Evan has broken his arm in a hockey accident. I now have a new assistant. " He beckoned to man wearing scrubs and washing his hands at the sink. "He comes highly recommended. And he spent some time in the lab upstairs too, so he'll be a valuable asset to the team."

"That's nice," Kate said, distracted by Flack's ringing phone. "I have to go, Sid. Let me know what you find on this guy."

"Will do," Sid answered with a wave. "Now, to work. Mr Caulfield? Your training is about to begin!"

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Kate exited the locker room, feeling drained. Flack was lounging against the wall, waiting for her. "You ready?"

She nodded and fell into step beside him.

"Let's get a cab," he offered, hailing one and ushering her in before climbing in after her.

She didn't speak all the way home. When she pushed her door in, he followed her.

"Kate, are you sure you're ok?"

"Fine," she told him flatly. She dropped her bag in the hall and called out to her sister.

"She's at work," Dee told her, coming into the kitchen. "She'll be back by nine."

"How was she today?"

"She was ok. " Dee frowned at Kate, who was sitting at the table. She sent an enquiring look at Flack, who shook his head. "She didn't sleep, but she went to work anyway."

"If she sees him, " Kate began, shaking her head. She caught herself. "She won't. He'll know better."

"He better," Dee said angrily. Her blue eyes flashed with indignation. "The asshole. He better hope we don't meet him."

"Oh I'm waiting for my chance." Kate's smile was lethal. "He'll get his."

"Remind me to never piss you lot off," Flack put in. "Any chance of some coffee, Dee?"

"I'll put it on," she told him with a smile. "I have to go get ready to head out." She smiled shyly. "I'm meeting Brian."

"Really!" Kate exclaimed. "That's great!"

"So get your own coffee, Detective," Dee teased. "I have to go get pretty."

"Won't take much," Flack told her with a grin. "You're mostly there already."

His reward was a huge smile and Dee hurried towards her own room to get ready.

"Coffee?" Flack asked Kate. She shook her head.

"Kate, talk to me." He sat at the table and took her hands in his. "What's eating you?"

"Kate," Dee came flying out of her room, an envelope in hand. "This came for you today. I forgot. I was careful, like you said."

Kate took the envelope, her eyes meeting Flack's. Dee stood watching, worry etched on her face. After carefully slitting it open, Kate peeped inside and let out a gasp. She swayed in her chair, her face going almost blue.

Flack took the envelope and pulled out the photographs it contained. He swore as he saw a picture of Kate and Dee shopping, talking to Brian. Kate and Tara jogging. He and Kate talking in the hallway. Dee and Tara laughing at something as they walked towards the elevator.

"Oh God," Dee whispered. "Oh God, Kate."

"That's it," Flack swore, getting to his feet and pulling Kate to hers. "I'm calling this in to Mac. This is the last straw."

"Tara," Kate managed. "She's at work. I have to call her."

"I'll have a uniform pick her up," Flack said, dialling a number on his cell. "Kate, it's ok. She'll be fine."

"This isn't right," Kate whispered. "It's going from flowers to photographs and calls and there's no pattern." She slumped into the chair again, covering her hands with her face.

"Kate," Dee said gently, crouching down in front of her friend. "Whoever this is, he's watching you. He knows where you are and where you live and that's a pattern in itself. "

"But he has gone from simple to severe too fast," Kate argued. "There's no pattern. It's like we can't anticipate what he'll do next."

Flack hung up his phone. "Sully and Davis have gone to pick up Tara and get her home."

Kate looked at him gratefully. "Thanks, Don." Her face was still bone white. Without realising it, she was clutching his hand.

"I meant when I said I wouldn't let anything happen to you," Flack told her. He was clutching her hand just as tightly in his.

The doorbell rang and Kate jumped, her eyes wide with fright.

"That's Brian," Dee called out, going to the door. She stopped dead, turned back to Flack and Kate. "I think it is, anyway."

Flack got to his feet and went to the door to peer through the peephole. He sighed and pulled the door open as Brian entered, his face grim. " Got here as fast as I could,"he said, going to Dee and hugging her swiftly before dropping to his knees in front of Kate. "You ok, Irish?"

"How did you know something was up?"Kate asked him, confused. He answered with a jerk of his head towards Flack.

"Why did you call him?" she cried. "He can't be involved in this too."

"Because you guys are going to need some man power," Brian said simply. "And besides. I've got a vested interest in this little group."

Dee blushed before going to put on more coffee.

Flack merely raised an eyebrow and returned to Kate's side. "Kate, why don't you go take that shower now. It might help. I'll wait here until Mac and Stella get here."

"I should start doing something." Kate couldn't tear her eyes away from the photographs spilled across the table. "I should go and -"

"Go and get changed," Dee prompted her, giving her a gentle push. "Go on. We'll take care of these." When Kate was gone, she turned to the two men at the table. "I'm not a cop. Or a criminalist. But somebody needs to do something about this." She slammed mugs furiously on the table. "Someone needs to find this guy and stop him."

"Agreed," Brian said, wincing as she slammed the cupboard door shut with a bang. "But what do you propose we do when there is no evidence."

Dee turned on him. "Aren't you a fireman?" She threw her mug in the sink with such force it shattered. "Damn it. Damn it!"

"Deanna." Brian's voice was soft. "She'll be ok."

"Damn right she will," Flack put in. His eyes were like ice. "This is going to stop."

**This is another cliffie, I know, I know. But chapter 16 is written already just to spell check it and I promise that I'll post tomorrow!! Please review!**


	16. Escalation of Violence

**Hey everyone thanks for all the reviews. I am going to start plugging other people's stories from now on because people have been so good to read and review mine! So see my favourite stories list for my favourites, the ones I highly recommend! **

**Marialisa: You didn't fall behind, don't worry. I tend to put one chapter up, quickly followed by another. Updates can be sporadic, so sorry about that! Glad you like my other little plots. They keep me on my toes! **

**Katydid14: Thank you, glad you liked it! **

**Hope4sall: I agree with you on the creepy. And Flack and Brian make a good team. Sometimes I'm sorry I didn't make Brian a detective but I like the firemen personally. Think it's the uniform! **

**Shane Vanson: Good to hear from you, thought I'd lost you along the way! They do make a good team, and in my head they're both hot too! Mr Caulfield is part of it, you've got that right. Lol you really keep my on my toes thanks for that!**

**Forest Angel: I'm glad she was too. I toyed with the idea of leaving her there for longer, but it was giving me nightmares so I let her out! **

**Dangermouse00: Updates are going to be more regular as soon as I'm settled at work, I promise! **

**BEG75: I love to see your reviews, they're always so positive. You're the best! **

**Aphina: Personally, anyone who would volunteer to work in a morgue would be suspicious in my eyes. That's just me. I'm not a fan of dead things. I'm giving myself chills writing some of the later stuff. It's creepy! **

**Dol: Glad you liked it. You will have to tune in and see what happens next!**

**Chapter 16. Escalation of Violence. **

Kate checked the lock on the front door before going towards her own room. She paused outside her sister's room to peek in the door. Finding her sleeping soundly, she headed into her bedroom and shut the door. After climbing into bed, she checked the nightstand for her gun and laid a hand on the hilt of it to assure herself it was there.

It had been almost two weeks since the evening Dee had handed her the second envelope with the pictures of her inside. In those two weeks, she had been surrounded by people every second she was awake. While she appreciated the support people were showing her, it was becoming a bit annoying to be constantly under the watchful eye of Mac and Stella.

Even Flack was reluctant to leave the apartment at night, always offering to sleep on the couch in case there was a delivery or something worse and he wasn't there. Kate had to practically shove him out of the door when he wasn't working.

She shuddered as she remembered the terror of knowing that someone was watching her, following her. Someone was obsessed with her enough to hurt her.

Her cell vibrated, making her jump. With shaking hands, she reached for it, relieved when she saw the text message symbol flash in the corner.

"Go to sleep or else come in here and keep me company." She smiled and got out of bed.

"Can't sleep?" She paused in the doorway of her sister's room. "I thought you were out cold when I checked in."

"Was," Tara told her, moving over to make room. "But you woke me with the waves of worry coming from your room!"

Kate pulled the covers over her shoulders and faced her sister. "Sorry. Is Dee home?"

"No," Tara said with a yawn. "She's working nights this week." She made a face. "I'm on tomorrow night. Double shift. I hate double shifts."

"It'll do you good, "Kate said, closing her eyes. "Go to sleep."

"Will you sleep?" Tara asked her softly. "I know you don't sleep well at night, Katie. I can hear you tossing and turning."

"I'll be ok," Kate told her, opening her eyes and looking at her sister's face. "The entire crime lab is trying to find this guy and get him in a holding cell so they can have a crack at him. The incident in the morgue was the last straw for them."

"For me, too," Tara told her. She reached her hand out to grip her sister's. "Katie, I don't want you to be hurt. Why don't you go to Mom and Dad for a few weeks and – "

"Run away," Kate interrupted, sitting up. "You want me to run away."

"No." Tara sounded weary. "I want you to be out of harm's way." She looked pale in the harsh streetlight that was shining in the window.

"You go if you want," Kate said stubbornly. "I'm not leaving. Not until I find out who this is and get him behind bars."

"Kate, please," Tara pleaded. "I know it's been two weeks since you had anything come to the house or to work, but that doesn't mean it's going to stop." Her eyes were sparkling with tears. "I can't stand the thought that something might happen to you."

"I'm surrounded by cops, Tara," Kate reminded her. "Nobody would be stupid enough to try anything like the morgue incident again."

"You don't know that," Tara retorted. "You don't know that because according to you and Don, there's no concrete evidence to tie anyone to this case."

"We're good at our job," Kate said evenly. "Sooner or later, he'll slip up. Then we'll get him."

Tara bolted upright in the bed again. "You mean you're using yourself as bait? That's your great plan?" She looked at Kate like she'd lost her mind. "You're crazy, Kate."

"I'm not crazy, "Kate sighed. "I am being logical. I am being rational and I wish you wouldn't make it so hard."

"I love you," Tara said simply. "What other way would I be?"

Kate's anger melted as she surveyed the face so like her own. She didn't want to hurt her twin. Sometimes it was hard for Tara to understand why she did what she did. Tara's instinct as a nurse was to take care of her.

"I love you too, big sister," she told Tara with a grin.

"Big sister," Tara snorted, settling against her pillows again. The subject was closed for now. "By all of four minutes. Why don't you listen to me more?"

"Because I'm the cop in the room," Kate answered. "And you don't know everything." She stuck her tongue out at her, making Tara giggle. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

When Tara raised her eyebrows, Kate sighed. "Tara, there's more going on than this thing with Flower Boy and me. What's going on?" A thought occurred to her and she sat up again. "Did Gary try to talk to you? Did he?"

Tara shook her head. "No. He's not in the ER now. He's doing his psych rotation now. Thank God."

"What about the doctor he was sleeping with?" Kate wanted to know. She felt her sister wince and wanted the ground to swallow her. "Sorry, T. But has she said anything to you?"

"No." Tara's voice was flat. "And I don't want to see him. Ever, if I can help it."

"Don could still have him killed," Kate said teasingly, wanting to cheer her sister up. Tara had cried herself to sleep every night for the last two weeks. Dee had offered to stab him with a hypo when she went to the ER with her files.

"If anyone heard you," Tara scolded. "They'd have you locked up." She was smiling as she snuggled into her pillows and her eyes had lost some of that sad look she'd carried for weeks. "Goodnight," she added firmly.

Kate fell asleep holding her sister's hand, like they'd done when they were children and she'd had bad dreams.

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She knew she was dreaming. In her logical mind, she knew that she was dreaming. But she couldn't seem to wake up from it. She tossed on the bed, whimpering in her sleep.

The doors of the morgue wouldn't open. They wouldn't open, no matter how hard she tugged and pulled. Beating her fists on the glass, she saw Mac looking in at her, saying something.

"I can't hear you," she called out. "Mac! Let me out!"

He was joined by Flack and Stella. She called out to them, but they turned and walked away. At the last minute, Flack turned around and came back to her, beginning to tug on the door to try and free her. Tara joined him, the two pulling as Kate pushed against them.

"Help me, please," she cried out. "Don't leave me in here!"

The flames erupted from the autopsy table, closing in around Flack and Tara as Kate screamed and screamed."

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"How's she doing?" Flack addressed the question to an exhausted looking Tara. She passed him a bagel, smiling a little as he stuffed half of it in his mouth. "Thanks."

"She's not sleeping too well," Tara answered. She'd heard the doorbell ring and had hurried to answer it not wanting to wake Kate from the restless sleep she'd been in. Don had been on his way home from work and wanted to drop by and check in on the girls, as he put it.

"Good morning," Dee said, her eyes heavy with fatigue. She had gotten in a few minutes before them. She joined them at the table and smiled as Brian Cambelli followed her and dropped into the seat next to her.

"Well." Tara was speechless. "Good morning." She sent her friend a look that clearly said she would be divulging details later. "How are you, Brian?"

"Just peachy," Brian drawled. "You?"

"Oh, peachy," Tara shot back. "Dee?"  
"I'm in one piece," Dee told her dryly. "Brian kindly decided to see me home. We were both on last night." She smiled at Brian. "You didn't need to come in with me. I'll be ok from here."

"I'm a guy," he tossed back, tugging on her hair. "My Mama brought me up better. Besides, you'll feed me!"

"You only ever think of your stomach, Cambelli," Flack said, stuffing his second bagel in his mouth.

"I'm a guy," Brian shrugged, swiping the last piece of toast. He smiled at Tara. "Besides, I got a kiss out of the deal."

"Don't hold back on our account," Flack smirked. "Cambelli, you're embarrassing your girl."

"Shut up, Flack. Just because you're not kissing the pretty brunette doesn't mean you can ruin my reputation."

"Redheads are more my type," Flack shot back. "You, on the other hand, have to – "

"Ok," Dee interrupted, laughing at them. "That'll do. No insults at the breakfast table."

"You have no idea what he's capable of," Brian told her solemnly, eyeing Flack with mock disdain.

"I'm a gentleman, Cambelli. My Mama brought me up right. I know how to treat a woman."

"I'll ask Kate," Brian said as Tara choked on her coffee. "What?"

"I need to get dressed," Tara said, shaking her head. "If she's awake I'll send her out to – "

She was interrupted by the scream coming from her room. "Kate!"

Flack was off his chair and down the hall ahead of her, gun drawn. He burst in the door of Tara's bedroom to see Kate sit straight up in bed, screaming.

Without thinking, he passed his gun to Tara, who wrinkled her nose in disgust and gingerly set it on her dresser. Later, he would kick himself for that. A police officer never handed a gun to a civilian, especially if it was a police issue weapon. Right now, though, his attention was focused on the woman in front of him.

"Kate? Come on, wake up. All the way up. That's it." He was sitting on her bed, one arm around her shaking shoulders while he tipped her face up to his. "Look at me, that's the way."

"You were on fire," Kate whispered, tears pooling in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Give me a minute." She dropped her head to Flack's chest and closed her eyes. "You were on fire. And so was Tara. I could hear laughing…"

"It's ok, baby," Flack soothed. "It's ok. We're here. And we're fine."

Tara, who had been watching from the door along with Brian and Dee, was silently weeping. Dee put a comforting arm around her friend and squeezed tightly, her other hand groping for Brian's.

Flack continued to rock and to whisper in Kate's ear. "It's ok." He repeated it over and over, hoping it would sink into her somehow.

Finally, she eased back. "I'm sorry, Don." Her voice was low, her throat dry from crying. Dee edged her way into the room and handed her the glass of water Brian had gotten from the kitchen. "Thanks." She looked to her sister and held out a hand. "Sorry, T. I did it again."

"It's ok," Tara managed to say, mopping at her eyes furiously. "It's ok."

"Don." Dee laid a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you and Brian go to the kitchen and get some breakfast going. Tara and I will take it from here."

Flack hesitated, looking down at Kate who was still leaning against him. She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before going out of the room.

"Ok," Dee ordered, handing Kate a thick blue towelling robe from Tara's wardrobe. "Get up, get showered, and get dressed. You're going to work."

"Thanks, Dee." Kate felt tears springing to her eyes again.

"Stop it," Dee told her, waving a hand at her. "I'll start and you don't want me to start."

"Good point. And while she's in the shower," Tara pointed at Dee. "You can tell me why Brian Cambelli was in your bedroom!"

Kate saw Dee blush bright red and she felt herself smile despite the horrible start to the day. "You guys are the best," she said softly before disappearing into the bathroom.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You look like hell," Bosco commented to Kate as she followed Hawkes into the department store that held their victim.

"Why are you always at my crime scenes?" Kate demanded. "And why are you not with Yokas today. Didn't she get threatened by that little Mexican dude that 's always threatening to shoot you?"

"She did," Bosco answered calmly. "She's on some leave for a few weeks. I've been partnered with Davis for now."

"Lucky Davis," Kate muttered as she went past him into the dressing room where a male security guard was lying on the floor. Jessica Angell stood over him, a frown etched on her face.

Beside them, a woman stood, weeping on the shoulder of her friend. She was obviously distraught, Kate thought, rubbing at the beginning of a headache.

Angell spotted her and smiled. "Well hello. Did you get rid of your bodyguard?" At Kate's confused look she laughed. "Flack, Kate." Angell said, waving her hands in front of Kate's face. "He has been at every crime scene you've worked since you got that last note."  
"How did you know about that?" Kate demanded, dropping her kit on the ground with a thump. "Who told you?"

"Police house," Angell said simply. "Everything gets around." She gave Kate a sympathetic look. "We're all right behind you, Kate."

"Thanks," Kate said shortly. She sighed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be a bitch. I didn't sleep much."

"That's obvious," Angell said dryly. "You should look after yourself."

"When I get this guy," Kate muttered, "I'll look after myself plenty."

Angell nodded, and turned briskly to the victim. "This nice gentleman here is Timothy Darnell, thirty two years old. Stab wounds to the neck and chest seem to be COD. Sid can confirm. Or else he can." She pointed to the man Kate remembered as Sid's new assistant. "Hello there. Are you here for the body? "

"Apparently," he said with a shy smile. "I'm Sam Caulfield."  
"Detective Angell," Angell replied, shaking his gloved hand. "This is Detective Kennedy."

"We've met," he said, nodding at Kate. "In the Lab."

"You and Ames screwed up my evidence between you," Kate remembered.

He had the grace to blush. "Sorry about that."

"I need to check the body," Kate told them. "Then you can move him to Sid."

"Kate?" Hawkes was frowning at something in his hand. "What's this?"

"Looks like some sort of tweed," Kate mused, shining her flashlight at it. "We'll bag it up and send it to Trace. Where did you find it?"

"In there," Hawkes said, pointing at the pool of blood beside the victim. "The floor here is tile, and the victim isn't wearing anything like that."

"From the killer maybe?" Angell suggested. She looked at her notebook. "Mr Darnell was discovered about an hour ago, when Mrs Robinson entered the changing rooms to make sure they were tidy before they opened for the day."

"Mrs Robinson?" Kate grinned and began humming to herself. "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you-"

"She found the victim," Angell continued with a roll of her eyes, "in this position and went to get her manager."

"Did she touch him or approach him?" Hawkes questioned from where he was scanning the floor for any evidence that could prove relevant.

"I didn't ask," Angell said. "I presumed that she saw the blood and freaked." She shrugged. "It's mostly what they do."

"I'll ask her," Kate volunteered. She approached the woman and adopted a sombre expression. "Mrs Robinson?"

When the woman nodded and sniffed. Kate smiled at her. "I'm Detective Kate Kennedy, with the New York Crime Lab." When the other woman nodded, Kate continued. "Are you up to answering some questions?"

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't think I'd be such a mess."

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting to find a body in here, Mrs Robinson?"

When the other woman looked horrified at the idea, her companion stood up, outraged. "I object to the line your questioning is taking, Detective."

"Are you her lawyer?" Kate asked, eyeballing the other woman. She guessed her to be at least five inches taller and at least twenty pounds heavier than Kate herself, but she was unfazed by her tone.

"I'm a colleague," she said with a disdainful look down her pointed nose at Kate. "Aren't you a little young to be a Detective?"

Kate smiled sweetly at her. "You'd be surprised at what I am, Mrs…?"

"Fagin. Maureen Fagin."  
"Nice Irish name," Kate commented. "I'm Irish too. Now, Mrs Fagin, I'm sure you won't mind my speaking to Mrs Robinson here for a few minutes. Officer Davis will take your statement." She pointed her in the direction of Davis, who nodded politely. "You'll like him, he's a good guy."

"I'm sorry."

"Jennifer, isn't it?" When she nodded, Kate smiled. "Ok. Jennifer, did you see or hear anyone come in? Was anyone here when you got to work this morning?"

"No," Jennifer said, with a shake of her blonde curls. "Can't I go home now? My husband will be worried. I called him to tell him what had happened."

"I need to take a DNA sample." Kate kept the sympathetic smile in place. "Would you mind? It'll help eliminate suspects in our enquiry."

"Looks like this one is going to continue on into the next shift," Angell groused, coming to stand next to Kate.

"Looks like," Kate agreed. "It reminds me of this one Flack and I had two weeks ago. Remember that stock market trader guy?"

"What happened to that one?"

"I got taken off it and confined to the lab," Kate told her with an expression of disgust. "I only got out here today because Mac was short staffed."

"Luck of the draw," Angell said pensively. "Who ended up being the perp in that one?"

"Assistant," Kate replied. "He was embezzling funds and gambling and when the vic threatened to fire him, he lost it and killed him."

"Lovely," Angell said, disgusted. "Don't we really work with the cream of society?"

Kate laughed, surprised at how good it felt to do so. She hadn't laughed in almost two weeks. "God yeah. My sister and roommate are both nurses. They patch them up and we bring them in in bags."

"Nice," Angell grinned. "That's the circle, I guess."

"Can I move this guy now?" Sam asked, interrupting them. His dark eyes were unreadable as he gazed down at the blood pooling around the body, dark now from having been left there.

"Go ahead," Kate told him with a wave of her hand. "He won't tell us anything more from here."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Our victim died of the stab wounds," Kate reported to Angell a few hours later. She shifted the phone to cradle it between her ear and shoulder. "Tox came back negative for alcohol but Sid did find traces of pain meds in his system. He'd taken Tylenol not long before. There were also traces of Prozac and some valium."

"So. He had a headache and was taking antidepressants," Angell echoed. "I talked to the manager at the store and tried to get in touch with the victim's girlfriend. So far, she's unreachable."

"Think she did it?" Kate asked.  
"Without meeting her? That would be judgemental of me, wouldn't it?" Angell asked.

"Hazard a guess, Jess."

"She's AWOL, her boyfriend is dead and according to the landlord at the apartment, they were always fighting." Kate could almost see Angell's customary shrug. "I'd say that it's a definite possibility."

"Let me know if you come up with anything else," Kate told her. "I'm going to get DNA now." She hung up the phone and picked up the DNA samples she'd collected from the victim.

"You seem happier," Hawkes told her, smiling in response as she grinned at him. "What's got you in the good mood?"

"I live for my work," Kate joked. She looked up as Stella came in, her face serious. "What's up, Stell?"

"Kate," Stella said quietly. "You better come into Mac's office."

Kate felt her blood freeze in her veins. "What's wrong?"

"It's Tara," Stella said quietly. "She was attacked in the hospital grounds this morning."

**I know, I know. I'm a meanie! Please review!! Flower Boy's identity will soon be revealed!**


	17. Fear

**Hi guys, sorry I cut ye off yesterday, but I like cliff-hangers. It's very good for the nerves to be hanging on the edge like that! **

**Hope4sall: Flower Boy will be revealed. As will more. Watch this space.**

**Shane Vanson: You are hopping about now aren't you? I'm so mean I know, I'm sorry. Keep reading please I promise it's getting to that!**

**Dangermouse00: You're on the right track! **

**Laplangurl: Wow, remind me to never tick you off! I don't know where she'd find a barn in NYC, but that's a great idea lol!**

**Dol: The great thing about writer's license is that I can keep you hanging on forever if I want to! But I won't, don't worry!**

**BEG75: You're so right about Sam and Flack, and thanks for reading I know you're really busy at home. **

**Chapter 17. Fear. **

When Kate looked back on the journey from the lab to Queen of Mercy Hospital, all she remembered was flashing lights and Stella's hand gripping hers.

"It's Tara. She was attacked in the hospital grounds this morning." Stella's words echoed in her head. Why had Tara been in the hospital grounds this morning? She was supposed to be working nights. She was supposed to be getting ready to go and do the dreaded double shift.

Beside her, Stella was telling Flack, who she'd woken up out of a sound sleep. He was following on behind them after he found Dee and told her what had happened.

"I need to call my parents," Kate whispered. "They should be here." She was bone white and shaking. "Stella, are we there yet?"

Under any other circumstances Stella would have laughed at the childish question, but Kate's terror was all she could see as she put one arm around the younger woman and tapped on the wire. "Davis? Where we at?"

"Almost there," Davis told them, screeching around a corner and peering in his rear mirror. "Bosco took 55-Charlie ahead of us to clear the hospital path.

For the first time in her career, Stella thanked God for Bosco's boldness. "Thanks, Ty."

They ground to a halt in front of the hospital entrance, and Kate was almost vibrating with tension as she waited for Davis to open the door of the cruiser so she could get out. She rushed in the doors, skidding to a halt in front of the reception.

The nurse in front of her, whose tag read Betty, did a double take when she saw Kate. "Oh my." She looked at her closely. "You're Kate."  
"Where's Tara?" Kate demanded, looking around her as if her sister would appear instantly in front of her eyes. "Where is she? What happened to her?"

Betty ushered her down the corridor and into a small room marked 'Doctor's Lounge'. She gave her a small smile and told her the doctor would be with her shortly.

Kate turned to Stella, panic written all over her. "Stell?"

"Calm down," Stella soothed. "It's usually in here they put cops to wait when one of us is injured on the job." She wished Mac were here. "It's going to be ok."

"What did they say to you?" Kate was wracked with guilt. "This is all my fault, Stella. I should have listened to her."

"Someone else did this to her," Stella contradicted her. "Kate, you can't blame yourself. This may not even be related to what's going on with you?"

"I don't know what's going on," Kate shouted. "We have no evidence and no tie to anyone. It's like this guy doesn't even exist." She was pacing furiously. "He doesn't follow any known profile of a stalker and he doesn't do regular stalker things either."

"Kate, he locked you in the morgue in a body cooler," Stella reminded her. "That is not normal behaviour."

"He sent me exactly four bunches of flowers," Kate seethed. "Four notes and then he locked me in that cooler. He then sent me photographs of myself in said cooler, followed by photos of me with my sister and Dee. How can you track someone like that? It's like he knew where I lived, knew I was out with Don. It's like he knew when I'd be on call."

Something struck her, and she looked at Stella. "Stell, he knows things about work. You need codes to get into these places and we checked the security tapes but they were missing."

Stella picked up her phone and dialled Mac. "Mac? It's Stella. Where are you? I'm with Kate now." Her eyes met Kate's as she listened intently to Mac. "Ok. Will do."

"What did he say? What did he – "Kate's frantic questions were cut off as the door opened and Dee rushed in, followed by a dishevelled looking Flack. "Dee."

"What happened?" Dee looked at Stella for answers, her blue eyes terrified. "Where is she?"

"They won't tell me," Kate told her. "They won't tell me anything."

"I'll go," Dee told her. "I'll find out. I'll get the chart." She scurried out of the room.

Flack looked at Kate. His heart had all but stopped when Stella had called him to tell him what had happened. His first thought was that it was Kate, and they'd gotten the twins mixed up. He now realised that there was a distinct possibility that it was true.

She was standing in the corner, wringing her hands together. Her auburn curls were falling out of their ponytail around her pale face. The fear was almost visible in the air around her.

He crossed to her side and took one of her hands in his. She looked up at him, but he got the feeling that she didn't really see him. All her attention was on the door as she waited for Dee to come back.

"I found the doctor," Dee announced after what seemed like an eternity. "He's on the way in."

"Did you ask him about Tara?" Kate demanded. "Dee, where is she?" Her voice rose on the last, panic taking over. "Why won't anyone tell me?"

"Hi." Four heads swivelled towards the short, balding man with the wire rimmed glasses. He had dark blue eyes and at present they were trained on Kate, who stepped forward.

"Where's my sister?"

"I'm Doctor Nelson," The man answered patiently. "You must be Kate. Tara is always talking about you."

"Where is she?"  
"She's in the ICU right now," he said gently, leading her to a chair. "You should sit down, Ms Kennedy."

"I want to see my sister," Kate said stubbornly. "What happened to her?"

"She was hit on the head with what we think is a blunt object," Dr Nelson explained. "We can't be certain. That's your area of expertise."  
"We'll need to process her," Stella interjected with an apologetic look at Kate. "I'll do it."

"Is she awake?" Kate asked in a shaky voice.

Dr Nelson sighed before continuing in the same gentle voice. "Not at this time. The blow to the head is consistent with considerable force. She's sustained some damage to the brain."

Kate let out a low moan before covering her face with her hands. Flack immediately stepped forward to place his hand on her shoulder.

"We can't say how much until the swelling goes down," Dr Nelson told her. "That'll take some time."

"How much time?" Stella asked. "What are we looking at here?"

"I can't tell you, Detective," Nelson said flatly. "The brain is a delicate organ and extremely sensitive to environmental stimuli. Right now, it's swollen and surrounded by fluid that prevents it from working properly."

"Doctor," Dee interrupted quickly. "How about you guess and give us an idea."

"It will probably be some days," he replied. "We may try to relieve the pressure surgically, but that's a last resort."

"Did she have any other injuries?" Stella asked, seeing that Kate was unable to talk.

"Cuts and some bruising," he told her. "You'll see them when you process her."

"Can I see her?" Kate asked, gripping Dee's arm. "Please?"

"Nurse Grayson can take you," he told her before giving her another sympathetic smile and leaving her alone.

"Come on, Kate," Dee said quietly, putting an arm around her and propelling her through the doors. She noted Kate's meek acceptance and her nurse's eye told her that she was in shock.

"I want to see Tara," she said meekly. "Can we go now?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tara lay still on the high, narrow hospital bed. Still as if she were dead, Flack thought, peering in through the glass windows at the twins. Dee sat on a chair outside the room, her head in her hands. She hadn't moved for the last hour. Stella had gone to call Mac and to get her kit so she could process Tara.

Inside the room, Kate sat by her sister's side and watched the pale green dot run across the monitor attached to Tara's heart. The steady beep meant that Tara was going to open her eyes soon, she told herself.

Her sister's eyes were closed, the bruise on her cheek a stark contrast to her pale face. Her hair was matted with dried blood under the bandage covering her head. Her hands were dirty and scratched. She looked like she was sleeping, except for the IV lines running into her arms and the oxygen tube in her nose.

Dee had said that her lungs were functioning, but that they would intubate to give her brain some rest as soon as Stella processed her.

"It's me," Kate whispered into her sister's ear, careful not to touch her. Stella had warned her not to compromise any evidence that might be on Tara's body. She itched to take her sister's hand and knew she couldn't. "I'm right here, Tara." Her head dropped onto the bed beside Tara's arm. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Outside the window, Flack watched her and alternated between rage and worry. Stella stepped up to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "How you holding up?"

"Not so good, "he admitted. "I'm not good at this, Stell."

"At what?"

"Caring what happens to someone."

She snorted. "That's crap, Flack. You're one of the most caring people I know. Don't think I've forgotten who got me through the ordeal with Frankie." When he shook his head, she frowned at him. "You're just not used to caring about another person like you do about Kate."

He nodded. "I can't understand it," he admitted finally, leaning his head against the cool glass. "I barely know her. We've had exactly one date, to quote her."

"That doesn't matter," Stella said quietly. "It doesn't matter if you've had one date or one hundred. The fact is that she matters."

"She does," Flack agreed. He looked in at Kate again. "She really does."

"A double act," Stella commented, following his gaze. "You get her, you get Tara."

"Tara isn't all bad," Flack conceded with the first genuine smile he'd managed since the desperate dash to the hospital. "She's got a way of keeping a guy on his toes."

"She's good at that," Dee told them, standing on his other side. Her voice wavered. "They're my best friends. My family, you could say."

Flack squeezed her hand silently. "Did you call Brian?"

She gave him a wan smile before nodding. "He's on shift but he'll be off as soon as he gets in from the call he's on." She shook her head. "I bet he never anticipated we'd be this much trouble."

"Women generally are, "Flack commented, wanting to lighten the mood a little. He was rewarded with a glare from Stella and a smack on the shoulder from Dee.

Stella took a deep breath. "I have to go in and process her," she told them.

Dee's face tightened. She'd been a nurse long enough to know what that meant. "Will she feel it?"

"I don't know," Stella answered honestly. "I'm not a medical professional, you are. What do you think?"

"I think," Dee answered, looking back in the glass window, "that Kate will feel it for her."

Flack's hands clenched into fists. Noticing them, Dee put her smaller hand on his. "Let's go get Kate some coffee," she suggested. "She'll need it."  
"Take her with you," Stella immediately ordered. "She can't be in there when I'm doing this. Flack, you know the drill."

He nodded. "I'll keep her here."

"See that you do." Stella took a deep breath before knocking softly on the door and going inside.

"Kate?" She said the name gently, noting Kate's vacant gaze. "You need to wait outside now."

Those blank eyes strayed to the examination kit in her hand. "I'm not leaving her." Kate's voice was flat, void of emotion.

Stella bit her lip nervously. "Kate, you know the rules. You can't be in here." She spoke firmly, hiding her distress from Kate, who merely looked at her. "Do you want the person who did this to go free when we get him?"

That brought some light back into Kate's eyes and she shook her head mutely

"Good. Now go outside to Flack and Deanna. I'll let you know when you can come back in."

Kate obeyed without a word. That action alone worried Stella more than hysterics would. Sighing again, she turned to her task, forcing herself not to think of the petite woman lying in the bed as a woman she knew. She had to be impartial in this one. It was vital.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Kate? You want some coffee?" Kate looked up into Flack's blue eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't."

"You should eat," Dee told her, offering her a piece of toast and a carton of yogurt she'd taken from the nurses' kitchen. They were currently sitting in the staff lounge, having followed Dee's orders.

Kate looked at her watch for the hundredth time. Only ten minutes since she'd left Tara's side. Stella would be finished photographing her now and about to take Trace. She would be putting the Q-tips under her nails to gather whatever evidence was there and then…

"Don't," Flack said softly. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't put yourself in that room while Stella's doing the work up on her. You'll drive yourself nuts."

"I can't sit here," Kate said suddenly. "I can't sit here and do nothing. I can't – "

"Stop," Dee ordered. Her eyes were brimming. "You can't leave."

Kate looked at Flack again, her eyes burning in her face. "I want in on this one, Don. When you find this guy, I want in on it."

"You know we can't let you do that," Flack told her firmly. "You can't let anything get in the way of this guy going to prison."

"He put her in that bed," Kate cried, her eyes flashing. "He hit her with something and put her in that bed and she won't wake up."

Flack tried to wrap his arms around her, but she shoved him away. "Don't, Don. Just don't."

He told himself that it was worry for Tara talking and tried to ignore the flash of hurt that went through him at her rejection. "Kate, you have to let me take this one, ok?"

She turned her back to him, shaking her head.

Flack was relieved to see Mac come into the room a few minutes later. Kate was refusing to speak to him, and Dee had gone to check and see what flights were available for Kate's parents to take.

"Stella is still working," Mac told Kate, who merely nodded and continued to watch the door. Mac raised a questioning eyebrow at Flack who shook his head.

"I called Danny and Lindsay," Mac added. "They'll be here as soon as they can. Hawkes knows the neurosurgeon here too, so he'll be here as soon as he calls in his evidence."

"My case," Kate said suddenly. "Mac, my case! I just left all the evidence around and I never finished processing it – "

"Relax, Kate," Mac interrupted. "I've pulled Derek off nights to cover your cases until you are able to come back to work."

Kate looked doubtful, but nodded. "I might be able to go back tomorrow when Tara wakes up."

Flack exchanged another worried look with Mac. Kate wasn't making sense.

"Stop looking like that," Kate snapped out. "She'll wake up. She will."

"Nobody thinks she won't," Flack said softly, trying to take her hands. He fought back the helplessness when she pulled away from him again.

"If she wakes up, then you can bring some files here and work on them, how's that?" Mac was watching her carefully, wondering how long it would be before she'd snap.

"Thanks, Mac," she told him gratefully. She turned to Flack. "Don, you should go home."

"Not a chance."

"I need to get some things from the house," Kate insisted. "Can you take Dee and get them for me?"

"No," Flack stated firmly. "N.O. No chance."

"I'm posting a guard at her door," Mac told her. "She's at risk. So are you while you stay here with her."

"This is crap," Kate said bluntly. "I'm not at risk in a hospital full of people."

Mac looked like he was struggling to find words for something. IT was most unlike him, Kate thought with a frown.

"You're hiding something from me," she told him, narrowing her eyes at his hesitant look.

"No," Mac said slowly. "I'm not hiding it." From the pocket of his jacket he took an envelope. "This came to the crime Lab just after Stella left with you. It's addressed to you, but we opened it when we recognised the envelope."

Kate took it, her mind racing. "Is it another note?"

"More pictures," Mac answered. "I'm sorry, Kate. This is where we step in."

She looked at the envelope in her hands like it might explode. "Step in?"

"We've run every test we can on it," Mac said. "We checked for prints and DNA. Kate, I did the tests myself. There was nothing to link it to anyone."

"As per previous encounters," Flack cut in bitterly. "This guy has to be the most slippery son of a – "

"What are you going to do?" Kate interrupted him. "Are you going to fire me?"

Mac looked genuinely shocked. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Because I've been here for two and a half months and I've done nothing but cause trouble," Kate said. She tried to smile but failed. "If this were a movie it wouldn't move this fast."

"Kate, you're a good cop and a great CSI," Mac emphasized. "You are an asset to my team. And I plan to keep you on it; I've told you this before. "

"She should be kept under guard," Flack told him pointedly. "After the flowers, she was locked in the body cooler in the morgue, Mac. This is the third lot of pictures. If there's a pattern to this, it's going to be something serious next."

"IT doesn't make sense," Kate said slowly. "Why would anyone target Tara? Why? She's not a cop, she's a nurse."

"She's your sister," Mac reminded her. "If she's hurt then so are you." His serious grey gaze met hers. "Kate, we need to have a look at your case files from the Chicago PD. I got in touch with your Captain there. He's sending them on." She nodded miserably. "I can't work now, Mac. I can't put anyone in that position."

"I can't let you," Mac told her regretfully. "I'm sorry, Kate."

The door opened as she was nodding her agreement and Stella stepped inside, the evidence kit in her hand.

"Stell?" Kate asked as she stepped forward. "What did you find?"

"It's got to go back to the Lab, "Stella told her with a concerned look at Flack. He shrugged and shook his head. "You can go back in now."

"Can I hold her hand now?" Kate asked.

"Go ahead," Stella replied with a nod. When Kate was gone, she turned to Mac and Flack. "She's in shock."

"I know that, Stella," Mac said, holding up a hand at her accusatory tone. "She has to snap out of it herself. It's the trauma."

"Identical twins are usually pretty tight," Stella mused. "She's going to find this tough."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tara had been moved to the isolation room at the end of the ICU. It was the most secure room. Davis sat outside it, his expression blank. He appeared relaxed, although Flack knew that his dark eyes weren't missing a thing. Every now and again, he would make a note in the paper he was looking at. From experience, Flack knew that behind the newspaper was a sheet detailing all the visitors to the room and any other observations that he thought were relevant. Farther down the hall, Bosco was stationed at the emergency exit, doing much the same thing.

Despite his dislike of the other cop, Flack grudgingly admitted that he knew his job. It wasn't his fault that women dug the scar on his cheek or the smartass attitude.

Davis nodded to him as he stopped to check in. "Anything?"

"Nothing," Davis answered flatly. "Nobody unusual or otherwise. Mac gave us a list of the crime lab staff that will be coming around, and that's it."  
"If you don't like the look of them," Flack warned, "they don't get in. That's the bottom line."

"Will do."

Flack knocked softly on the door and pushed it in. Kate was sitting in the chair beside Tara's bed. She was holding her sister's hand and talking softly to her.

"I'm sorry, Tara. I'm so sorry."

"Kate?"

At the sound of his voice she looked up. Her eyes hardened slightly. "Yes?"

Flack carefully approached her. "Are you ok? Want some dinner? Water?"

"You should go home," she told him, her voice hard.

"Excuse me?"

"Go home, Flack," she repeated.

"So we're back to last names now?" Flack tried, but couldn't quite mask the hurt in his eyes.

"I was thinking of you," she said, still in that same hard voice. "I was sitting in the lab, thinking of you and where we could go for our second date." Her laugh was harsh. "I was thinking of you, when my sister was lying on the ground in a coma."

"That's not your fault," Flack argued. The knowledge that she was torn up with worry over Tara's situation didn't make the sudden hollow in his gut any easier to bear.

The fact that she could make that hollow in his gut was both annoying and unbearable, he thought with a pang of irritation.

"I was thinking of you," she repeated. "And Tara was hurt. Crying out for help and bleeding." She looked away from him, back to her sister. "I should have known."

"You are not psychic," Flack shot back at her, quelling the urge to shake her. "You can't read her mind!"

"I want you to leave," Kate said quietly. "I want you to leave now."  
"Don't do this," Flack told her, panic clogging his throat. "You're not thinking straight. You don't want – "

"I do. I want you to leave now. I can't do this, Don. I'm sorry. I can't be with you."

He stared at her for a minute, willing her to look at him. She kept all her attention on her sister. Finally, he turned on his heel and left the room.

Kate wrapped her arms around herself and curled up in the chair. Her eyes burned, but she couldn't cry. "It's best for him," she whispered to the empty room. "He won't be hurt now."

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Danny looked up in surprise as Flack stalked into the Trace Lab. The pictures that Mac had given him were spread out over the table. Flack stopped and stared at the pictures of Kate all over the surface in front of Danny.

On the board, the photos of the flowers and the notes were pinned, along with more photos. Flack swore ripely.

"This is some crazy sh-"

"What has you here?" Danny interrupted hurriedly. His friend looked like he might hit something. "Why aren't you at the hospital with Kate?"

"She told me to go home," Flack said heavily. Only his eyes revealed that he was feeling anything. They were burning bright blue as he stared at a photograph of himself holding hands with Kate as they strolled through Central park. Another showed her getting into a cruiser and buckling her seatbelt. More detailed her doing various jobs, shopping, jogging, and laughing hysterically at something Angell was saying to her.

"This guy is everywhere she is," Danny said tightly. "He manages to get her at work, at home. It's freaky, man."

"Freaky isn't the word I'd use."

"I've got her case files here," Lindsay announced, coming into the room. She stopped to give Flack a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Flack told her shortly. "What have you got?"

"Nothing conclusive," Lindsay answered. "She didn't have many that would result in this type of behaviour."

"We're cops," Flack ground out. "Homicide detectives. All our cases could potentially lead to this."  
"Not exactly," Lindsay told him. "Kate was in Special Vic's in Chicago. That led her to cross over with Homicide."

"That happens all the time," Flack said. "I meet Dana Petersen in Special Vic's once a week on cases. So what does that have to do with Kate?"

"I'm thinking we should check her record from Special Vic's," Lindsay said. "That's most likely to be where it started. Think about it, guys." She was pulling out various pieces of paper as she spoke. "Homicide is jus that. Homicide. It's cut and dried." At Danny's snort, she rolled her eyes. "They're dead, Danny. No survivors in our job."

"So this might be someone who survived a crime and blamed Kate for not solving it?" Flack's eyes lit up. "IT could be a relative of someone who didn't get justice."

"That's pretty farfetched, "Danny commented. "Usually it's someone with a grudge against cops."

"If it was, "Lindsay argued, "then they wouldn't have attacked Tara. That's personal, Danny."

"I'll help you look," Flack offered, holding out his hands for a file. "Give me something to do."

"We need Kate for this," Lindsay said. Her eyes were sympathetic. "She'll have to go through them with us."

"Her twin is in hospital, Linds," Flack exclaimed. "She's barely able to stand, let alone go through case files."

"When Mama was in hospital, I was dying for something to do." Lindsay shoved the files at him. "She'll be glad of it. It'll take her mind off waiting for Tara to wake up." She made shooing noises at him. "Go. Talk to her. You'll be glad of it."

"She'll kick me out again," Flack grumbled, doing as he was told. Honestly, he felt better being near her. He couldn't do anything to help her, but he might just not go insane doing nothing.

"She kicked him out?" Lindsay turned to her husband in surprise. "Why?"  
"She's confused," Danny said knowingly. "She'll come around." He winced. "That sounds insensitive, considering Tara's attack."

"It's ok," Lindsay told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I know what you meant."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stella finished processing Tara's evidence kit and peeled off her gloves. The photographs had gone to the darkroom with Derek to be processed. He would be back as soon as he could, he'd told her.

She finished reading the report Jane Parsons had sent to her and frowned. A closer look made her eyes narrow and she hopped off her chair to dial Mac.

"Hey, Mac. It's Stella. Call me back when you get this."

She peered at the results of the DNA for the third time to make sure she was right before heading to trace to find Danny and Lindsay.

"We got something," she declared, shoving open the door. "The DNA under Tara's fingernails was a match to the DNA we got off Kate after she was put in the body cooler."

"What does that mean?" Lindsay looked up from her paperwork. "Any hit in CODIS?"

"One profile similarity," Stella said. "And they guy that it matched off with is in jail for the rape and murder of a co-ed in the university in Chicago."

"We have a lead," Danny said, a grin splitting his face almost in half. "Thank God."

"I'm waiting on Mac to get back to me," Stella said. "Then we'll go have a chat to our murderer." She handed Danny the report. "Take a look at that. I'm going to go get those photographs from the Darkroom."

**Sorry it's slow. Real Life is conspiring against me at the moment. I'll get the next one up ASAP! Make sure ye review I won't know where I'm going wrong if ye don't!**


	18. Don't Leave

**Hey guys, thanks for sticking with me in this one. I can't believe that I've got over 100 reviews! How amazing is that! You can't see it, but inside I'm jumping around like a lunatic.**

**BEG75: Glad things are calming down a little for you. Just take care of yourself too because if you don't then the proverbial will hit the fan. Glad I managed to cheer you up for a bit!**

**Hockeymom: He'll be back, don't worry. She's important to him and he won't leave her for long. Besides, Bosco is there lol!**

**Katydid13: RL is a total pain in the ass. I don't know whether to post shorter chapters and more cliffies (Cue evil laugh!) or to just wait longer between updates! I'm delighted that you think mine is worth waiting for though (",)**

**Cherryspark: He does try, doesn't he? He's got a major thing for her, but doesn't quite know what to do about it. Oh well. I'll help him along with that soon!**

**Dangermouse00: You could be right about Dee, but at the moment, Hunky Fireman Brian will look after her! More on Tara to come.**

**Laplangurl: Thanks lots, I'm glad you understand why she's shoving at him, she really can't take another person being hurt because of her. I'm trying to keep up with the CSI procedures and am watching the repeats of the show every chance I get. I have sisters, and if one of them was hurt I'd be exactly like Kate is. Flower Boy is going to be revealed soon. **

**Dol: Sorry I confused you, I didn't mean to. I know this isn't the way you thought it would go, but an evil leprechaun got inside my head and I got a little sidetracked! Please keep reading! **

**Madison Bellows: Welcome back! How did you survive without Internet for a week! I'm glad you like it. I've started reading Nola Rising again to refresh myself. And I've started saying "Looks like a duck, walks like a duck" too. It's driving my mother mad! Gus is so funny! I hope you don't mind me saying that!**

**Anyway, here's 18. It might be a little shorter, I'm doing some of it as I'm working and it's difficult to do everything. Added to that, people don't really get my obsession with FF. I don't know why, anyone with one good brain cell can agree that it's just magic entertainment! **

**Chapter 18. Don't Leave.**

The ICU was a bleak place at the best of times. Today, if a stranger came in to look around it, they would have seen it to be especially dark. The uniformed officer at every exit made some of the visitors raise enquiring eyebrows, but once they were approved and let go through without question, they didn't ask.

The small woman curled in the chair made one little boy ask his Mommy why that lady was all alone. Dee heard him and smiled at them. She uncurled her legs from under her and stretched. Nodding to Sully, who was sitting in a chair near the exit, she headed to the cafeteria to get some more tea for Kate.

"Hey, Deanna," one of her colleagues in the Paediatric Unit greeted her. "How's Tara doing?"

"Not so good," Dee answered gravely. "She still hasn't woken up. Her parents are on vacation in Ireland at the moment, so they're coming on the next available flight."

"Keep us posted. We're thinking of you."

"Thanks, Sue." She took the tea and wandered back in the direction she'd come from.

"Hey, Ty," she said with a smile for Davis, who raised a hand in greeting. She didn't know the young officer well, but she liked him. Brian had introduced them one night when they were out at Sullivan's. She had found him to be polite and well spoken and he had a boyish sense of humour that most people didn't see.

"Dee? Any news?"

She turned to see Flack and Stella coming towards her, Danny and Lindsay trailing behind them. All four wore serious expressions. Dee noted that they were all carrying their weapons too.

"What's happened?" She set the tea carefully on the trolley nearby and looked up at Flack. "What is it?"

"We think we have a suspect," he told her. "Where's Kate?"

"You need to ask? She's in with Tara. She won't come out."

"We'll do this in the doctor's lounge," Stella said in a low voice. "Not inside that room."

"I'll get her," Dee volunteered.

"Let me." Flack stopped her with a hand on her arm. He disappeared inside the room.

"How are you holding up?" Stella asked. She took the thick file Danny handed her and nodded at Davis, who sat back down and resumed his observation of the waiting room.

"I'm ok," Dee shrugged. "It hasn't sunk in yet, I guess. Kate is my primary concern now. Stella, is this guy going to try and finish what he started?"

"We'll be putting you under guard," Stella avoided the question. "Just in case."

"No need for that," a voice said from behind her. Brian Cambelli stood there, his turnout gear covered in soot. "Sorry, I took so long," he added as Dee flung her arms around him, oblivious to the dirt getting on her pink t-shirt.

"That's ok," Stella said. "But you won't be kept here with that outfit. You're a walking Petri dish for bacteria."

"I had to bribe Attila the Nurse at the desk," Brian told her, not letting go of Dee. "She told me I had ten minutes. Just wanted to see that things were ok here."

"They're not," Dee said with a hitch in her voice. "She's still not awake and Kate won't leave her and there were more photographs and – "

"Easy," Brian told her, pulling her to his side again. His dark eyes were hard as he turned to Danny. "What the hell happened? The five five is hopping with gossip. So is the firehouse. Jimmy Doherty told me he heard that some guy mistook Tara for Kate and beat her half to death."

"Not far off, "Danny replied grimly. "She took a pretty good pounding." At Dee's sound of distress he checked himself. "Sorry, Dee."

"You're coming with me," Brian told her firmly. "Don't argue. This guy took out Kate's sister. That means you could be next." His eyes were like flint. "I'm not taking that chance."

"You are not responsible for me," Dee argued, struggling to break away from him. She was no match for his grip. "I'm not leaving Kate to deal with this on her own while I hide out."

"Damn stubborn women," Brian raged. "I'm not asking you to move out of the country. Just to come home with me and get a change of clothes and some other stuff for Tara. I'll bring you back then."

"Oh." Dee was suitably chastised. "I'm sorry." She elbowed him in the ribs. "You didn't tell me that."

"You didn't give me the chance," he retorted before hugging her again and kissing the top of her head.

"Brian." Kate's voice cut through the conversation. She was standing in front of Flack, who looked like he could cheerfully strangle someone. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," he answered, letting Dee go to pull Kate into a tight hug. "How you doing, Shorty?"

"I'm good." She told the lie with a straight face. "She's strong. She'll wake up any minute now."

"Then we should get this over with," Stella put in. "In case she does."

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"It was a cut and dried case, for once," Kate remembered. She was sitting at the table in the doctor's lounge. "It was only my second or third case and it was a joint op with Homicide." She rubbed her forehead. "I was the investigating detective for Special Vics at the time."

"Go on," Stella said gently, taking Kate's cold hands in hers and rubbing it.

Flack watched, unable to tear his eyes from Kate. Since she'd dismissed him from the hospital earlier that day, he'd been torn between going back and shaking some sense into her and just staying out of her way. The cop in him wanted to go and pin this bastard to the wall. The man wanted to stay with Kate and be there for her.

She looked awful, he thought. Her hair had long abandoned any pretence of staying in its ponytail and her face was so pale he could see the little veins under the skin. Her eyes, though, were worrying him. They were glazed over with worry and fatigue.

"The girl was found at the base of the sorority house steps," Kate continued. "She'd been raped and then beaten. COD was - oh my God. It was a single blow to the base of the skull." She surged to her feet, paced furiously. "Stella, he killed her with a blow to the base of the skull like Tara. It's him. He escaped!"

"He didn't escape," Lindsay interrupted softly. "He hung himself three months ago."

Kate's legs gave out under her and she slumped into the chair. "Evidence was sketchy at best," she recalled. "CSI only found traces of semen on her and from more than one donor. We had to go on what was the only suspect."

"Who was that?" Flack spoke up for the first time since entering the room. "Who did it?"

"Her best friend," Kate said sadly. "He was her best friend. They were like Dawson and Joey." She smiled ruefully. "Tara loves that show. They did everything together. He was so devastated." She stopped, the image of the dead girl and the anguish on the faces of her parents and friends flooding through her.

"What happened?" Danny asked. "In the end, I mean. What did you do?"

"Arrested him," Kate told him. "I arrested him myself. Brought him in and because he fit the profile and he couldn't provide a sufficient alibi, the jury convicted him."

"There was a trial?" Stella seemed surprised. "How did that happen?"

"A good defence lawyer would knock that one straight into orbit," Danny mused. "How in the hell did it go to trial?"

"Because she was the daughter of some very influential people," Kate said. "Her father was in politics, and he wanted someone to pay. He was the only one of the donors who couldn't provide an alibi."

Stella was taking rapid notes as she listened. "So he was convicted on that alone?"

"No," Kate said slowly. "He had scratches and marks on him. The DNA we found on the victim matched his."

"So he killed her," Stella said slowly. "And you were the convicting officer." She tapped a finger on her chin. "But he couldn't have sent you the flowers and the photographs. He's been in prison."

"He's been dead," Flack reminded her bluntly. "So he's a non runner."

"How did his DNA end up on your sister," Danny wondered. "I mean, if it was old DNA, we'd have been able to tell. And DNA doesn't lie."

"Not usually," Kate said, her eyes suddenly brightening a little. "Stella, what if he has a brother?"  
"It would have to be a twin for the DNA to match," Stella replied, seeing where she was going with this. "I'll have Angell check if there are any surviving family members."

"I'll go back to the lab and run through the photographs again," Danny volunteered. "Maybe something in them will help."

"I should help you," Kate said, rising from her chair. "I should look at them closer, maybe I'll see something. I should-"

"Sit down," Flack ordered her, "and stay here." He ignored her glare. "You need to be here where we can keep an eye on you."

"Dee!" Kate shot to her feet again. "Don, what about Dee!"

"Brian is with her," he answered. "She's fine."

"I need to call her," Kate said frantically, getting to her feet and heading for the door. "I need to call Mom and Dad too and tell them not to come."

"You need to sit the hell down before you fall down!" Flack had finally lost his patience. "Listen to me."

The others began to file out of the room without a word. Tension was thick in the air and it needed to be cleared.

Kate crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"Dammit, Kate, look at me." He whirled her around to face him. "Look at me!"

She shook her head. He tipped her chin up so he could look in her eyes. The terror in them made him curse and pull her against him."

"Kate." His voice was soft. "I'm not going anywhere. Hear me? I'm not going anywhere."

"What if you get hurt?" She whispered the question against his chest.

"I didn't catch that," Flack joked. "You're talking to my chest."

"Your ears are two foot above my head," she said crossly. "I said what if you get hurt?"

"Kate, what if Stella gets hurt? Or Danny? Lindsay? We're cops," Flack said patiently. He hadn't lessened his grip on her. "You can't worry about us."

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Kate whispered. "I can't let that happen."

"Worry about Tara now," Flack told her, gently kissing the top of her head. "She's the main concern."

"What if – "Kate broke off, unable to finish the sentence. "What if something happens to her?"

Flack felt her tremble and vowed for just five minutes alone with whoever was responsible for putting her in this position. "Don't," he murmured into her hair. "Just don't."

"I don't think I can do this," Kate said in a shaky voice. "I can't lose her, Don. I can't. I'm not strong enough to be strong _for_ her."

"Sshh," Flack soothed, rubbing her back in slow circles. "You don't have to be strong all the time." He eased her back, smiled a little. "I've got big shoulders."

"You do," she admitted, sighing and leaning against him.

"Then lean on them a little and let me take some of it."

"Don?"

"Yep?"

"Please don't go away. Even if I ask you to. Please don't." She burrowed into his chest and clung tightly. "I don't want to be alone."

The words reminded him of the morning she'd woken up and screamed. She had clung in much the same way that day, too. He pulled her closer at the memory. "I won't, don't worry. I'll be here."

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Stella looked at the records in front of her and sighed. It had been a long day. Searches for the family of James Gilbert had turned out to be a bust. There was no doubt in her mind that somebody out there was doing this to Kate, but so far all evidence pointed to an old crime and a perp that was dead.

"Got anything?" Mac poked his head in the door. He was wearing his jacket despite the warm night and appeared to be ready to go home.

"Nothing," she admitted. "Danny and Lindsay took off. They were going by the hospital with Hawkes and Adam. You heading home?"

"I'll drop by the hospital myself, "Mac replied. "You should head home, Stella."

"I will, in a bit," Stella said vaguely. "I just want to go over some things first."

When Mac smiled and nodded, she watched him head down the hall to the elevators. Sighing, she returned to her careful examination of the evidence.

The sound of the clock on the desk chimed eleven pm after what felt like only minutes. Her gaze strayed to the photograph beside the computer of her and Flynn. She picked it up, traced her husband's face with her fingers.

Closing her eyes tightly, she wished that she could hear his voice. She missed hearing his Southern drawl in her ear and the feel of his stubble when he kissed her. Smiling to herself at her own foolishness, she kept her eyes closed and pictured him in his dress blues at his promotion to Colonel.

"Hi, honey."

She began to tremble. Not opening her eyes, she spoke quietly. "You're not real. You're not here. Are you?"

A hand touched her face, and she opened her eyes, tears spilling out of them and down her cheeks as she saw her husband's familiar face with its hazel eyes and wide smile. "Flynn?"

He nodded and she flew into his arms, weeping silently as they banded around her and held tight.

Sometimes, she thought as she kissed him over and over, sometimes, things just fit into place. The evidence was momentarily forgotten as she savoured the familiar feel of his arms around her.

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Kate was curled up on the chair next to Tara's bed, dozing fitfully. Flack tucked a blanket over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before letting himself out. Sasha Munroe nodded to him as he exited the room, making him check his watch in surprise.

It was after eleven, he realized as his stomach growled. He'd been in that room for hours.

"Flack?" Lindsay got off the chair she'd been in and stretched. "How's Kate? "

"Better," he told her, accepting the coffee she offered him. "Thanks. She's ok. Not as shaken up, but still terrified. And not for herself. For Tara. I don't get it."

"She loves her," Lindsay explained. "Tara and Kate are like one person in ways."

"That's true," Flack admitted, taking a swig out of the coffee. "They do everything together."

"It's not fair," Lindsay stated. "It's just not fair."

"Some things just don't go right," Danny added as he joined them and put an arm around his wife. He yawned widely and smiled as she did the same.

"You guys should head home," Flack said. "I'll be here anyway."  
"Is it completely inappropriate for me to say 'You got it bad'?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Flack and Lindsay chorused in unison.

Danny shrugged. "Well, you do." He put an arm around his wife. "Come on, wife. Let's go home."

"Let us know if anything changes," Lindsay said to Flack, who nodded. "Night."

Flack felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out, looking at the display. Stella Bonasera.

"Hey, Stella," he said, flipping up the cover. "You got any update? What? That's great, Stell. Bring him by as soon as he's up to it." He smiled at the excitement in her voice. "No, that's ok. Tomorrow will do. You won't be able to get anything off them tonight." He hung up the phone and frowned. He was thrilled for Stella that Flynn was home on leave, but he wanted this case solved.

He went back into Tara's room and settled himself in the chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him. The hospital visitor's chairs were no place for anyone over five feet. Kate was curled in the one next to him, her head fallen to one side, long hair falling into her eye. Tara's hand was still clutched in hers.

Flack moved her slightly so that her head was resting on his shoulder and he was holding her other hand. Resting his free hand on the butt of his gun, he fell into a light doze.

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Stella pushed open the door of Isolation and motioned to Flynn to be quiet. Flack was snoring softly, his head bent backwards at an awkward angle. Kate was leaning against him, sleeping soundly. The steady purr and click of the machines connected to Tara could be heard in the background.

Stella tiptoed over to Flack and touched him lightly on the shoulder. He shot awake, dislodging Kate who blinked in surprise and lunged for her weapon.

"What? What?" Flack spotted Stella and holstered his weapon immediately. "Stell, I could have shot you!"

Kate blinked the sleep out of her eyes and turned to Tara. Her face fell as she realised that there was still no change.

Stella gestured to Flack to follow her outside. As he did so, Kate kissed her sister's forehead and followed them.

"Welcome home, Soldier," Flack said with a firm handshake for Flynn.

Kate looked up at Stella's husband. He was a tall, lean man with sandy coloured hair and sharp hazel eyes. His smile was wide and friendly, and from the way he stayed near Stella and kept reaching out to touch her hair or her arm, it was obvious that he adored her.

"So I hopped on a plane and came home," he was saying in that slow Southern accent. "I just had to get here. The waiting at the airport was worse than waiting for Christmas morning."

"Kate," Stella interrupted, her eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry. This is Flynn, my husband. Flynn, Kate Kennedy."

Flynn took her hand in a firm grip. "Nice to meet you, Miz Kennedy. Sorry it's not under better circumstances."

Kate tried and couldn't quite muster a smile. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I need to see her doctor and get an update." She hurried towards Doctor Nelson, who was approaching the group and followed him back into Tara's room.

"How's she doing?" Stella asked Flack. "Any sign of her waking up?"

"None," Flack said with a sigh. "She's in pretty bad shape. No sign of the swelling going down."

"She got some sleep, though," Stella pointed out. "You were both out of it when we came in."

"The nurses were doing checks on her every hour," Flack said. "I woke up about every hour, but Kate slept the night. I think Dee put something in that tea she gave her."

"Good idea."

"Don, do you have any idea who's behind all this?" Flynn was in full soldier mode. "Sounds ominous."

Flack frowned at Stella, who merely shook her head. "I was at the lab. He saw the photos. Put two and two together and there you go."

Flack felt guilty for discussing the case when Kate wasn't present. "We should wait and see what the doctor says before we take this one any further. You got the report with you from her work up? Kate'll want to see that."

Stella nodded. "Got it." She patted the shoulder bag she carried. "It's not good, Flack."

He cursed once and closed his eyes. "Damn it. Ok." Rubbing a hand over his face, he thought for a minute. "We need to do this right."

"Right?" Stella was puzzled

"We need to have one of us here, along with the uniforms at all times." When Stella nodded again, he continued. "So Danny and Lindsay can do one shift, you, Mac and Hawkes can take turns."

"What about work?" Stella asked. "I mean, Mac's assigned us to this one until it's closed, but Sinclair won't like you being MIA for the next few weeks."

"He owes me a favour," Flack said bluntly. "I haven't taken time off in months. And I saved his ass from that gang shooter last month so he can damn well –"

"I'll help," Flynn interrupted. "I've got some time and I won't be on the base all the time."

"Thanks, Flynn." Flack sent him a grateful look before turning to Stella again. "What do we have on the DNA?"

"I'm going to go through the system to see if we have any near matches that might locate the donor," Stella said. "Hawkes and Lindsay are going to come along. Mac and Danny are finishing up the Davidson case. They'll be on it as soon as they close."

They were interrupted by Dr Nelson leaving Tara's room, followed by a dejected looking Kate. She shook her head at Flack's enquiring look and he could tell she was fighting to stay in control of herself. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," he murmured in her ear.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Falling apart wouldn't do Tara any good right now. "What did you find?"

"I'm going to go," Flynn said to Stella. "Leave you guys to this one. Call if you need me." He kissed his wife and strode off in the direction of the elevators, stopping only to greet Brian Cambelli, who pounded his back and hugged him.

"I'll stay with her," Dee volunteered when she saw the small group outside the Isolation Room. "Kate, you should go with them to the Lab. Maybe that might help."

"I don't want to leave her," Kate argued. "I don't want to be away when she wakes up."

"Honey, I'll be here." Dee squeezed her hand. Davis and Bosco are going to be here. They're just after getting here now. And Brian will be here with me."

Kate was torn. She wanted to help find the person responsible, and the paperwork was only part of it. Looking at the evidence would be better. The problem with that was that they couldn't move the evidence or it would be inadmissible in court.

"Please, Kate," Dee implored, her eyes filling. "Just go with them."

"You'll call me," Kate said uncertainly. "If there's anything…"

"I will. You know I will."

Kate took a deep breath and turned to Flack. "You'll take me back if I want, right?"

"Absolutely," he assured her, relieved that she seemed to be looking a little more alive. "I'll take you straight back when you're ready to go."

"Ok," Kate agreed. "I'll go. For one hour," she emphasized. "One."

"That's my girl," Flack said, kissing her cheek. He blushed as Stella and Dee exchanged knowing smiles. "What?"

"Your girl," Brian teased. He'd heard the last part. "Lot of that going around, son. I wouldn't worry about it."

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Flack looked at Kate, who was poring over the photographs on the table of the Trace Lab. She'd gone white to the lips when she walked in and saw the photographs of Tara, lying on the ground, bleeding. The ones of her struggling to open her eyes had made her gasp and press a hand to her mouth.

Stella had gently told her the results of the examination she'd done on Tara. While she hadn't been raped, it had certainly been attempted. They had managed to match all of the DNA found on Tara with the DNA taken from Kate's hands following the morgue attack. They were definitely the same person.

"Someone wants me to die," Kate ground out, slamming the photographs down on the table. "Enough to try and kill my sister. What am I going to do?" She rose from her chair desperation in her eyes as she turned to Flack.

"We're going to get him," Flack told her, his voice lethally calm. "We're going to get him, I swear."

She struggled for control and sat back down in her chair, gripping his hand tightly. She began to look at the evidence again, methodically this time.

"These are of Tara," she said after a minute. "These ones here? And these ones are the ones you took?"

"Yes," Stella answered with a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Where did you develop them?"

"In the photo-lab," Stella said. "Derek did them for me."

"I need to see Derek," Kate said. "The background of this one is a little blurry. Maybe he can clear it up for me."

"He's off today," Stella said. "I was down there earlier and only Kevin was there."

"I can try and do it myself," Kate volunteered. "I did some in Chicago when I was training there."

"I don't know," Flack said dubiously. "That might take a while."

"I'll call Dee," Kate said quickly. She was flushed with something akin to excitement. "She'll stay. This is big, Don."Her eyes were pleading.

"Ok, ok. I'll go down with you."

"I'll be in Mac's office," Stella said. She looked at her watch and sighed. "The staff will be arriving soon. Night shift will be going off at eight."

"We were up pretty early," Flack said with a pointed glare in her direction. "Six am, I believe you woke me at."

"Sorry," Stella apologised. "I'll make it up to you with drinks in Sullivan's when we nail this one."

"You better," Flack told her with a grin. He turned to Kate and cursed himself at the stricken look in her eyes. Damn. He'd forgotten Tara's injuries. Kate wouldn't be going out anytime soon. "I'm sorry, Kate."

"It's ok," she told him with a forced smile. "Really."

He followed her to the darkroom three floors above them in silence. She was totally focused on the task at hand. "Are you ok?"

"I can't think about it," Kate told him flatly. "I can't think of her lying there or I'll just crumble."

He didn't say anything, knowing whatever he did say wouldn't be enough.

"I need the copies from the photos Stella took of Tara at the hospital," Kate said. She was rummaging through the drawers near the supplies shelf. She pulled out a disc triumphantly. In the next instant, her face fell. "Damn."

"What?" Flack was at her side in an instant. "Are you ok?"

"Don, I left the originals upstairs in the Trace Lab.Can you get them for me? Please. I don't want to miss anything."

He shook his head. "Come with me. I don't want you alone for any reason."

"What's going to happen to me here?" Kate gestured to the empty room. "Don, please. This is really important."

"Ok. But lock the door," he warned. "I mean it."

"Nothing's going to happen in the Lab, Don." But she gave him a kiss as he left. "But thanks."

She smiled as the door shut behind him and she was left alone in the quiet room. The smile disappeared from her face as the image of her sister flew into her mind. Giving herself a mental shake, she turned her attention back to the photographs on the screen in front of her.

She began scanning the various photographs, smoothing out blurred lines and sharpening the focus on the edges of the pictures. She was blurry eyed after the first two, but she persevered, until she came to the one of her sister lying on the ground outside the hospital. She forced her self to look at it objectively, knowing that Mac and Stella would be able to verify anything she did so that it would stand up in court.

She narrowd her eyes as she focused in on what could be a face in the window. Painstakingly, she began to refocus, going over and over the spot she'd highlighted. It was useless. Growling in frustration, she suddenly realised that Flack had been gone for twenty minutes.

Shaking her head, she put her files on a disc and shut down the computer. Her cell phone rang.

"Hello? Dee, is that you?" The burst of static on the other side made her frown. "What? I can't hear you!"

"She's awake," Dee's voice was muffled, but she was able to make out that much. "She's awake!"

"I'm on my way." Kate began to run.

She flew towards the elevator, pressing frantically on the button to open it. "Come on, come on!"

The doors opened and she flew inside, stabbing the button for the ground floor as she did so. She didn't register the other person inside the elevar with her, watching her in amazement.

"Are you ok?" Sam Caulfield regarded her warily. "Have you lost something?"

"Tara's awake," she explained, hopping from foot to foot in her haste to get down to the ground level. "My sister. She had an accident."

"I heard," he said quietly. "Sorry to hear that."

"She's awake now," Kate told him. "I should never have left her." She pulled out her phone and swore. "No reception. Damn it!"

"Where do you need to go?"

"To Queen of Mercy," she replied.

"I'm headed that way myself," he said as the doors opened and they left the elevator behind. "I can take you if you like."

"Thanks," Kate said gratefully, forgetting her promise to Flack in her haste to get to Tara. "Let me call Don and tell him." Pulling out her cell again, she sighed as she saw the blank screen. "It's dead. I should probably go back up and tell him."

He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Ok."

She looked at him, and turned pale. "Oh God," she whispered. "Your eyes."

He looked at her, not understanding. "What?"

"The colour," she said, voice shaking. "They're different colours. Just like..."

He smiled suddenly, a slow, wide smile. "My brother?"

"You did it," she whispered. "It was you. You attacked Tara!"

"Actually," a voice from behind her spoke out. "That was me."

**Mwah ha ha ha! Cue evil laugh and tapping of fingers together a la Monty Byrnes! Hope that keeps ye guessing! I have started the next chapter and hope to put it up either Monday or Tuesday!**

**Feel free to point out any holes and ask any questions. This is my first ever fic so I will probably get loads wrong! Just dont send me hate mail. I don't like it!!**


	19. The Reason Why

**Hey all how are things? Hope everyone had a good weekend. RL is calming down a little again so I hope to update more regularly. I was watching season 4 here we're only halfway through it so far in Ireland it's a pain in the ass because I'm dying to know what's going to happen between Flack and Angell. If anyone knows can they tell me please! **

**Forest Angel: I had to bring Flynn home, Stella was starting to depress me! Tara is another story though! Watch this space! **

**Maddy: Cookies are always most welcome. I'm terribly partial to chocolate chip and hazelnut. Or ice-cream. I'm easily bribed lol. **

**BEG75: Thanks for the congrats. I was fairly proud of myself! What, no cookies? Shame! I will check in with Sam and co soon too, and I will review I promise! **

**Hope4sall: Poor you, fried computer is not good! Glad you like it. Hope this one doesn't disappoint. **

**Laplangurl: You were right. Well, half right. I hope you like this one. I had fierce trouble writing it! **

**Katydid13: I was twitching myself. When you're writing do you ever find that sometimes characters just won't behave? I do, all the time. It's a disaster!**

**Dangermouse00: You were half right well done. I didn't hide that terribly well. I don't have the imagination or the talent to do that. I prefer the fluffy type of fic with a little angst thrown in for good measure. I'm glad you're enjoying this one. **

**Dol: I'm still sorry! You know what for!! **

**Chapter 19.The Reason Why. **

Kate forced herself to turn slowly. She stared into the icy grey eyes of Derek Ames as he pointed the barrel of the gun at her heart. She surreptitiously put her cell into her pocket and backed away slowly.

"Hello, Kate."

"Derek? Why would you-"

"Because," he replied with a sneer, "I can."

"That's it?" She thrust her chin out, despite the icy fear spreading inside her stomach. "That's all you've got? That reason sucks."

"Stalling won't work, Detective," Sam cut in, taking her arm and twisting it upwards until she whimpered in pain. "You won't be missed."

"They'll wonder why I'm not in the Photo Lab," Kate told him, forcing herself not to cry out as Derek ran a hand up her arm and pulled her against him. "Get off me!"

"I'm checking you for weapons," he told her. A smile blossomed on the face too close to her own. "Although it's not a hardship. Detective Flack is a lucky man."

She shivered in response to the leer in his eyes. "Keep your hands off me."

"You gave it up to him fairly easily," Derek commented. "Any reason why you're holding back from me?"

"Because you put my sister in the hospital!" Kate spat the words at him and he sniggered.

"Correct.." His eyes were gleaming. They reminded Kate of a rabid dog she'd seen on her grandparent's farm in Ireland when she was a child. Those mad staring eyes had haunted her dreams for weeks afterward.

"Why would you do this?" Kate asked him, trying to watch them both as they circled her slowly. Her eyes darted from one to the other nervously. "What did I do to you?"

Derek lunged at her, grabbing her throat suddenly. As she gasped for air, he squeezed tighter. "You killed my mother."

"And my brother," Sam added, not bothering to help her as she choked and clawed at Derek's hands around her neck.

He finally let go and she fell to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air. "Don't…understand…brother?"

"Brother," Derek confirmed with a wink at Sam. "His brother and my mother."

Kate looked at them, her eyes resting on Sam as he looked down at her, his gaze filled with loathing. "Sam, your brother? Was he James?"

Sam's face hardened. "You don't speak about him, you bitch! Don't you say his name!"

"I'm sorry," Kate forced herself to remain calm, even though her throat felt like it was on fire. She rubbed at it, trying not to cry out at the pain. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

His eyes were like flint as he stared down at her wordlessly. Finally he spoke. "My brother went to prison for something he didn't do."

"He did do it," Kate said softly. "The evidence said he did." She cried out once as he reached down and slapped her hard across the face.

"He didn't kill that girl," Sam roared at her. "It was her bastard politician father, paying someone to plant DNA on her body. James wouldn't kill a fly!"

"I can't prove that," Kate told him, praying that someone was looking for her. "I'm sorry about James, Sam. I truly am. If anything happened to Tara, I'd die myself. But I didn't kill James."  
"It was your fault he was in prison," Sam yelled, his eyes bulging in his head. "Your fault!"

Kate looked at him as he loomed over her. "What are you going to do to me?"

He smiled. "What you deserve."

"Don't," Kate said quickly as he pulled her towards a waiting Jeep. She began to scream out loud as he laughed at her. "Help me!" She bucked against his hold, screaming louder as he hauled her towards the Jeep and opened the trunk.

"No point in hollering," Derek said cheerfully. "Nobody will hear you." He leaned down so his mouth was against her ear. "Just like nobody heard my mother when she begged for James to be let go."

Tears rose in Kate's eyes as she shook her head. "I'm sorry about your mother, Derek. But she couldn't have saved James. I'm sorry that you lost a brother, but do you think killing me will make it ok?"

"My mother is in a psyche ward in a hospital," Derek ground out. "She doesn't know me when I call her. She doesn't talk; she just stares at a photograph of James all day and screams when anyone tries to take it from her."

Tears pooled in Kate's eyes. "I'm sorry about your Mom, Derek. But do you think that she'd want you to end up like this?"

"She won't know," Derek told her. He was tying a rope around her wrists, pulling it tightly together so that she whimpered in pain again. "She doesn't know me. Listen to me!"

"Please," Kate whispered. "I need to get to the hospital. Tara needs me. She's awake and I-"

Derek held up Dee's cell phone. "This the phone you got the call from?" He tossed it to the ground, temper getting the better of him. "That was me. It's Tara, she's awake!" He spoke in a high voice, breathing heavily to simulate static. "Gullible, aren't you!"

"She's not awake?" Kate closed her eyes, grief swamping her. "She's not awake."

"Maybe you'll know what it feels like now," Sam told her. "When she dies, maybe you'll know."

Kate took a deep breath and lunged forward, ramming into Derek as hard as she could, screaming at the top of her lungs as she did so.

"Bitch!" Sam swore as Derek staggered backwards. He caught up to her as she ran towards the elevator, her screams echoing off the walls.

"Grab her and let's go," Derek ordered, wheezing a little. "We can't be here when people start to come in for work."

Kate struggled hard as she was dragged to the Jeep and stuffed into the trunk.

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"Kate?" Flack pushed the door of the photo lab in and peered inside. Kate was nowhere to be seen. The disc she'd been working on was on the desk, lying there innocently. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. "Kate?"

Muttering to himself that he was going to wring her neck as soon as he found her, he headed for the Trace Lab. Stella looked up as he entered. He handed her the disc and she stared at it, puzzled.

"What's this?"

"Kate's disc," he answered in surprise, looking around him. "Where is she? I told her not to leave the AV lab until I got there to – Stella?"

Stella was looking a little pale. "She's not here, Flack."

He was running towards the AV lab before she even had the sentence out, ignoring her calls and bursting down the stairwell. Stella ran after him, her booted heels echoing loudly against the concrete walls.

"Kate!" He flung open the door, gun raised as he did so. "Kate? Where are you?"

Silence was his only answer.

"Flack, she's not here," Stella called from the other end of the room. "She's not in the audio room." She was pulling open the door to the darkroom as she spoke. "She's not in here either."

"Where the hell is she?" Flack swore loudly as he pulled out his phone and dialled Dee. "No answer. Dammit!"

"Ok." Stella's voice was firm and hard. "We need to pull up the surveillance footage of this place. Adam!" She was speaking rapidly into her cell. "I need you here in AV immediately."

"Something's not right here, Stell." Flack was rubbing his head, his dark hair standing up in spikes on his head. "She wouldn't leave like that. She wouldn't do it."

"Let's see what we can find from the disc first," Stella told him. "I'll put Danny on it. He's brilliant at that stuff. Lindsay and I will dust this place for prints and see what we can come up with."

"I'm here," Adam announced as he ran into the lab and skidded to a stop, a little breathless. "What do you need?"

"Security tapes," Stella ordered. "Kate's missing."

Adam's face grew serious. "Oh crap." He immediately sat at the desk Kate had been working on. "I'll start with the hallways outside."

Flack tapped his fingers against the desk impatiently as Adam's fingers flew over the keys at a rapid pace. He'd always figured Adam for a bit of a geek, but he would be forever grateful to said geek if he could find Kate. He forced himself to ignore the worry eating at him. It wouldn't help. "Anything?"  
"A minute," Adam muttered. "Not as fast as I look." He tapped furiously. "There. Here's the hallway. Looks like she's in a hurry."

Flack watched as Kate raced towards the elevator and got in. She was talking to someone on her cell. "Who called her?"

"I can try and find out," Adam offered, "if you give me her cell number."

"Don't try," Stella told him. "Do it."

Flack rattled off the number quickly and watched as Adam began to search the database for Kate's call log. "Last call received was from Deanna Grayson."

"That's Dee," Flack interrupted as Adam was about to say something. "Sorry, what?"

"It came from inside the building," the lab tech finished, looking irritated at being interrupted. "From downstairs."

"How do you know that?" Stella was shocked. "Where do you look?"

Adam shrugged. "Hacking is a challenge for me."

"But Dee is at the hospital," Flack said slowly. "She's not in the Lab."

"We need footage from the rest of the floors," Stella told Adam. " And call Lindsay and have her meet me downstairs!"

Flack was already on his way to the elevator. "Someone has her, Stella." His blue eyes were worried as they met hers. "She wouldn't just leave like that."

"It doesn't look good, "Stella admitted, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "We'll find her, Don. I promise you."

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"Surveillance shows her getting off the elevator at the basement floor," Lindsay reported as she came to where Stella was standing. "She got off the elevator with an unknown male. He's about six feet tall and wearing dark clothes. She's not running from him, so I assume she knows who he is."

"Danny is still looking at the photographs to see if he can clear up the images a little," Stella replied. "He's nearly there, he thinks."

"I called Mac," Lindsay added. "He should know about this."

"Anything on the prints?" Flack asked.

"Nothing, sorry, "Lindsay answered apologetically. "I'm going to get back to the case file and see if I can contact James' mother. She's listed as his next of kin."

"Keep me posted," Stella called. Turning to Flack, she noted the panic in his eyes. "Flack, you need to focus on the case."

"We don't have one," Flack ground out between clenched teeth. "All we have is our gut telling us that the same guy who beat Tara unconscious has Kate now and we don't know who he is or where he'd take her."

"We will find out who he is," Stella promised. Her heart ached for him. Kate had come to matter to him in ways he probably didn't even realise himself yet. "Just hang in there, ok?"

"Ok."

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"Thank you very much for your time," Lindsay was saying as Danny let out a groan of frustration. "Danny, we need to call Flack. Any luck with those pictures?"

"None," Danny told her, determination written all over his face. "But I'll get it. I'll get it."

"James Martin's mother is in a psychiatric institution in Chicago," Lindsay told him. "She was admitted after James killed himself."

"What?" Danny was incredulous. "What?"

"She's described as deeply catatonic and completely incapable of looking after herself," Lindsay told him. She was dialling Flack from the phone beside her and relaying the news to him. "I've asked for a list of recent visitors as well as the images of any members of the family who visit her there. They should be in the fax in the next few minutes."

"Poor woman," Danny commented. "That's tough."

"Yeah," Lindsay agreed distractedly. "Poor woman."

"What have we got so far?" Stella entered, Flack trailing behind her. "Any updates?"

"I called the Chicago PD," Lindsay began, showing Stella the notes she'd taken on the pad beside her. "They gave me the details of James' mother, Carolyn Martin Ames.

"Name sounds familiar," Flack said thoughtfully. He shook his head. "Sorry. It'll come to me. Go on, Lands."

"Turns out she's in full time psychiatric care in Chicago," Lindsay continued. "She had a breakdown after her son committed suicide and she's non functional right now."

"Is there a log of people who visit?" Flack immediately asked. "There might be something there."

"On its way," Lindsay told him as the fax behind her began to beep. "That's probably it."

"They work fast," Stella said, surprised. "They must have their own Adam!"

"Nobody works as fast as Adam," Danny declared from his position at the computer. He was hunched over it, his nose practically touching the screen. "I'm getting something here, but it's grainy. There's nothing clear."

"Can you clear it up?"

"I'm trying," he replied, tapping furiously on his keyboard. "I can clear some of it. Not enough to see absolutely, but it may give us some ideas."

Flack's cell rang. "Flack here." He put his hand over the phone. "It's Cambelli. Dee's worried because Kate hasn't come back."

"Tell him what's happened and get onto Lieutenant Swersky at the house," Danny told him. "They can keep Monroe and Cruz on the door. Send Davis and Sully to us. We could use them."

Flack repeated Danny's instructions to Brian and hung up. "We need to get a lock on her and soon. There's no telling what this guy will do to her."

"Gotcha!" Danny turned to them with a triumphant smile. "This guy was there. His face is reflected in that piece of glass next to Tara's head."

"List is through," Lindsay announced, scanning it. She went white. "Danny, look at this."

"Jesus," he breathed. His eyes went cold behind his glasses. "Stell, you better call Mac in here fast."

"What is it?" Stella demanded. "What have you got?"

"It's Derek Ames," Lindsay told her. "The lab tech. He's the one who attacked Tara."

"Ames?" Flack sat up in his chair. "The one who screwed up Kate's evidence? He did this?"

"He's listed in the register of visitors as Carolyn Martin's son," Stella read out. "He's the one who has Kate!"

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The sound of traffic filtered through the closed trunk as the Jeep sped along the streets. Horns blared, sirens wailed and she could hear music coming from the Jeep stereo. Kate ordered herself to be calm, but it was a struggle. For the second time in as many weeks she was tied up and locked in the dark.

She listened intently for any distinguishing sounds that she could use to her advantage. Instinct told her that they would take her to the last place anyone would look for her. She quivered as the SUV slowed down and ground to a halt. The engine shuddered to a stop and she tensed as she heard the footsteps coming around the side of the vehicle.

The door was flung open and she blinked against the light that assailed her sensitive eyes. Hands reached out to roughly drag her from the car.

She turned her head frantically, trying to see a way out or another person besides the one leading her into the large rundown building. There was none. This must be downtown New York, she thought, cursing herself for not taking more of a tour when she'd had the chance. None of the buildings were familiar.

Inside, she blinked in surprise at what looked like an old church. The place had long been closed, she thought, taking in the dust covering the furniture. She wrinkled her nose at the musty smell.

"Get in there!" Derek shoved her into what she assumed to be the sacristy before banging the door shut. "And stay quiet," he added menacingly.

"We should have planned this better," Sam was saying as she stumbled to the door to listen to what they were saying. "We should have been more careful."

"Do you want justice for James or not," Derek snarled at him. "She killed our brother, remember?"

Kate's eyes bulged. Another one! She shifted closer to the door, ears pricked for more information.

"I loved James," Sam said, voice shaking. "But it's not her fault that he died."

"You getting cold feet on me?" Derek sounded threatening. "Your brother killed that girl, and you know it."

"He didn't kill her," Sam shouted back. "I told you. He didn't kill her."

"Shut up!" Derek hissed at him. "Just shut up! She's going to pay. That's it. Go show up to work in case anyone gets suspicious. Take that with you. And Sam? Don't tell anyone or I'll shoot you both."

Kate scrambled backwards as the door opened again. She was right up against the wall, shaking with terror as Derek slowly approached her.

"Scared?" He asked the question softly, his eyes never leaving her face.

"You're crazy," Kate told him, her voice trembling. "You won't get away with this."

He leaned in closer to her, enjoying the way she flinched and looked away. "I got away with sending that little punk to prison, didn't I?"

Kate stared at him in horror, comprehension dawning in her eyes. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Oh God, it was you. You did it."

HE grinned, and for the first time in her twenty six years Kate saw true evil in a person. "It was fun. She screamed." He sounded almost dreamy now. "I like when they scream." Eyeing her again, he smiled. "Tara screamed."

Kate shoved at him, her eyes going hot with temper. "I swear, if anything happens to her, I'll – "

"What?" Derek taunted. "What'll you do? Hit me?"  
Kate shoved at him again, hitting out against him. With her hands bound it was useless. There was no escape. He just kept smiling at her.

"You're just like her."  
Kate looked up at him, her eyes full of loathing. "I won't scream."

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"Ames was last seen this morning at the hospital," Flack was telling Stella as they pulled on bullet vests and clipped their weapons. "His car was found abandoned at the hospital and security footage shows him leaving with another man right before Kate and I left."  
"Any id on the other guy?" Stella holstered her gun and clipped her badge to her belt.

"None yet. Lindsay is running him through the system now."

"We got Ames' computer from the AV lab," Stella said, matching her strides to Flack's as they headed for the cruiser parked outside the 5-5. "Adam is working on it. If there's anything to lead us to Ames, he'll find it."

"Ready?" Danny stood beside the cruiser, wearing a vest matching Stella and Flack's. His badge hung around his neck. Lindsay stood beside him. She too, was suited up.

"We're good," Flack told them. He and Stella climbed into the dark sedan. "Stay in touch," he called through the window.

Danny and Lindsay saluted and climbed into the back of 5-5 Charlie with Bosco and Yokas in the front.

"Straight to the hospital," Lindsay told them. She turned worried eyes to her husband, who gripped her hand in his. Lindsay leaned against him as the car sped away from the police house, sirens blaring.

In the front, Bosco and Yokas looked grim. The radio crackled, dispatch announcing that a member of the force was missing, presumed abducted. Before long, the word would be spread along the radio waves to all the police houses in the city. Every cop in the area would know that one of their own was missing.

It was the way things were done. And it usually never failed.

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Kate gritted her teeth as Derek's hand wandered along the leg of her jeans and upwards. Defiantly, she stared back at him as he ran a hand along her stomach under her shirt. She fought back the nausea that rose in her throat. Weakness would delight him.

"You're going to like it," he promised. "They always like it."

She merely stared at him, disdain reflected in her green eyes. "You can't hurt me, Derek."

He shoved her away from him, sending her sprawling onto the hard ground. With her hands tied, she couldn't break her fall and she landed painfully on her side. She cried out involuntarily as she hit the stone, tears rising to her eyes at the sharp pain in her ribcage. Another cry followed as he aimed a booted foot and, kicking her hard, left the room.

Gasping, she curled up in a ball and closed her eyes. "Don," she whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Don, where are you?"

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Lindsay hurried along the corridor and ran full tilt into Mac. "Thank God," she exclaimed fervently. "Mac, have you heard the-"

"I heard," He interrupted her flood of words with a curt nod. His eyes swept her from head to toe, taking in the bullet vest. He watched as Stella and Flack approached Dee and spoke to her in low tones. The younger woman let out a low cry of distress and slumped against Brian, who wrapped his arms around her slight frame, murmuring in her ear.

"We think that Ames has Kate," Flack said as he came to where Lindsay was watching Brian try to comfort Dee. "We don't know where yet."

"Any accomplice?" Mac asked. "Stella mentioned another man on the phone."

"There's another guy involved alright," Flack said darkly. "And when I catch them, they're going to wish that they'd never been born."

"Easy," Mac intoned, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's handle this right." He turned to Lindsay. "Any unusual visitors to Tara's room?"

"None," Lindsay answered, shaking her head. "None outside lab staff. There was nobody else allowed in."

"Check the list," Mac ordered. "One of them could be aiding this guy." He sighed inwardly. Heads were going to roll when Chief Sinclair heard about this and he was willing to bet his would be first on the block.

"Sid and his assistant were here," Danny reported after a brief conversation with Sasha Munroe. "Sid left early to go to work. The assistant, Caulfield? He followed on after talking to the nurses at the station." He looked grave. "Flack's guys have been asking around, Mac. A man fitting Derek Ames' description was spotted in the cafeteria. He was talking to Sam Caulfield."

"They're in this one together," Flack said angrily. "What's the connection to Kate?"

"I think I have something on that, "Hawkes cut in. "Derek Ames is Carolyn's son. He's James Martin's brother. Half brother."

"He blames her for the loss of his brother," Lindsay put in. "It spells motive to me, Mac."  
"We need to find this guy," Mac stated. "Stella!"  
"Yep?"

"Get onto the lab. Tell them to alert security. IF they have Kate, then they'll have to show for work in order to keep people from becoming suspicious. Find out when they're due on shift. And have one of Flack's guys pick them up."

"On it." She was already pulling out her cell phone.

"Flack, go back to the police house. I want you on hand when we bring them in. You and Angell can interrogate. We'll observe."

"Ok," Flack agreed. Adrenaline was beginning to rush through him. Finally, he thought, finally, something was going right for him.

"Lindsay, Danny. Stay here with Tara. I want eyes and ears on the ground." Mac finished giving orders and stood back, observing the little group in front of him. "Let's finish this."

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Flack hung up his phone and got to his feet, signalling to Angell. "Caulfield just showed up to work."

"Arrogant bastard," Angell muttered. She followed Flack out of the room. "Who's bringing him in?"

"Davis," Flack answered over his shoulder. "He and Sully have him in holding."

"Hello, Mr Caulfield," Angell greeted the terrified man in front of her pleasantly. "How are you feeling?"

"You don't have to be nice to him, Jess," Flack growled. Placing his hands on the table in front of him, he leaned in menacingly. "Tell me where Detective Kennedy is."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, his eyes darting from Flack's tall figure to Angell's slightly bored expression.

"Flack," Angell cut in. "Maybe we should just let Stella talk to him. Or Danny." She had the satisfaction of seeing his face turn paler. "You don't like that idea?" She leaned in closer. "You've heard about Bonasera's temper then, have you? Or Messer?" She smiled thinly. "See Flack here?"

"I don't know where she is."  
"He's a lot meaner than they are," Angell continued, as if he hadn't said a word. "A lot meaner."

"Tell. Me. Where. She. Is." Flack said very clearly. "Now."

"I don't know where she is!" Caulfield cried out. He cowered in fear when Flack sent his chair flying across the room. "I don't know!"

"Book him," Flack ordered suddenly. "Hold him."

"For how long?" Caulfield went paler. "How long?"

"As long as you don't tell me what I want to know," Flack shot back at him. "That could be days."

"He'll kill her," Caulfield whispered, so softly Flack wondered if he'd heard it at all.

"What did you say?"

"He'll kill her," Caulfield repeated. "My half brother. He'll kill her."

"You're Derek Ames' brother?" Angell wasn't sure if she'd heard right. "That's not true. He didn't have a brother."

"I lived with my dad," Sam Caulfield told her, slumping against the table, his head in his hands. "But James and I met even though our parents didn't want us to." He looked up at them again, eyes full of rage. "He didn't kill that girl. He didn't do it. And he died all alone in a prison cell because of that bitch!"

"Watch it," Flack barked at him. "Just don't piss me off. You don't want to do that."

"You really don't," Angell added. "He's just plain mean."

"She deserves to die," Caulfield spat at them. "She killed my brother and Derek's mother."

"Carolyn Ames is alive," Flack told him. "She's not dead."

"She may as well be," Sam said bitterly. "She doesn't know him when he visits. She doesn't do anything. And she's like that all because of that bi-"

"Say that again," Flack warned, his eyes like blue flints. "Just say that again."

"I won't tell you anything," Sam said defiantly. His earlier fear seemed to be gone, replaced by some sort of madness.

"Take him out of my face," Flack told Davis, who hauled the man to his feet.

"Wait!" Stella darted into the room. "I need to get some DNA from him first."

Davis obligingly shoved Caulfield into the seat again while Stella fingerprinted and swabbed him. Her eyes were icy as she regarded him. "It's my turn next," she warned. Turning on her heel, she strode out of the room.

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"I ran the DNA you got from Caulfield," Hawkes announced. "Took his clothes from the locker in the morgue too."

"Sneaky," Stella said admiringly. "Find anything?"

"Traces of soil on the shoes," Hawkes said. "I'm analysing it for minerals now. It'll take a while."

"Hurry it up," Stella urged. "Kate needs our help."

"It's been hours," Hawkes said quietly. "If this is the guy who put Tara in hospital, then chances are he'll do the same to Kate."

"If he does," Stella said grimly, "I won't hold Flack back from him."

"Get in line," Hawkes added, a frown of concentration appearing on his face as the machine behind him began to spit our results.

"Nothing unusual in the soil," he reported after glancing at the page. "No high levels of anything out of the ordinary."

"Anything from the clothes?"

"Working on it," Hawkes answered. "We pulled something like pollen from flowers and something else that I think is dust from the ends of the pants."

"Let me know what you get," Stella called, spotting Mac and hurrying towards him. "Anything from Caulfield?"

"Not a thing," Mac said grimly. "But Stella? I think I may have something we can use."

**That's it for today! My hands are ready to fall off me at this stage. More to come tomorrow! Thanks to all who reviewed! **


	20. After The Rescue, What Happens Then?

**Well I ended on another cliffy; yes I'm a mean mean person. But it works! I've got 125 reviews and counting so far and a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed and left PM's as well. It really boosted me a lot.**

**If you like this story, try out 'Memories of Brooklyn', Devine Intervention and Simply Devine, Finding Kate (in the world of CSI: Miami) and also Nola Rising. I'm also reading Coming Home, and You Can Breathe and of course What The Eyes Don't See. They're all available under the Don F filter and they're really really good. I am in the middle of so many more and they're fantastic. **

**Bmangaka: Welcome to my story and thank you for the review. I'm glad you liked it. More on the way! **

**Mjels: Welcome back! Nice to hear from you again. I'm terrible for cliffhangers aren't I. Sorry about that!**

**Forest Angel: Always nice to hear from you. Hope you got my email! Your patience will be rewarded I promise.**

**Maddy: Cookies and ice cream! There goes my diet now! RL is a bit of a rollercoaster at the moment but it's getting there. I have great friends around who help me when the balls fall down.**

**Sarah: Thanks I hope you continue to read and to like it!**

**Chapter 20. After The Rescue, What Happens Then? **

Kate was lying on the cold stone floor of the old church, curled into a ball. She'd lost count of the hours she'd been here. Lost count of the blows and the advances from Derek Ames. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd cried out for Flack in her head.

She was cold. Her side hurt. Her head hurt. Even her back and shoulders hurt. She doubted there was a piece of her that wasn't bruised after falling on the floor. Coughing from the dust that rose up, she struggled to an upright position, looking around her warily.

The sound of footsteps made her scramble backwards despite the searing pain in her ribs. The door opened slowly and Derek entered, carrying a bottle of water and what looked like a sandwich. She stared up at him, eyes wide.

"Don't look at me like that." He tossed the water down and handed her the sandwich. "I'm not a monster."

Kate just looked at him, her eyes telling him exactly what she though of his declaration.

"Eat up." He gave the order with a sharp gesture of his hand. "Don't want you to starve before I'm finished with you."

"I can't eat with my hands tied."

He gave a harsh laugh. "And you think I'll untie you? Right. Because I came down in the last rainfall."

She continued to stare at him, unblinking. He held the bottle to her lips and she was forced to drink it or choke. "There you go. Good girl. I like when you cooperate."

"You'll pay for this, Derek," Kate warned, cringing in anticipation of the blow she knew would come. It was better to take the beating and have bruises than to take the alternative. The alternative would surely destroy her.

"No." He leaned down into her face, a habit she'd observed for the last few hours. "You will. You'll pay for every moment my mother had to spend in that hospital. For every time she was sedated because she kept screaming."

He was getting worked into a frenzy now, Kate thought, relief that he wasn't going to touch her warring with fear that this time he might actually kill her. Add to that worry over her sister's condition and her head was spinning.

He reached down to drag her to her feet. She turned her head away so that she wouldn't have to see the look in his eyes. Even as she did so, he was pulling her so that her body was pressed against his.

Kate used every ounce of willpower she had not to flinch when he ran his hands up her legs and inside her shirt. He'd used this tactic before to see if she'd scream. Grabbing her chin with one hand, he forced her to look at him, into those cold grey eyes.

When she closed her eyes, he ripped the shirt, leaving her standing there in her bra. She looked down at her stomach. Already the painful bruises were showing on her side. One of them was a clear imprint of a boot. He traced the shape with his fingers, then pressed hard, causing her to gasp and writhe as white-hot pain lanced through her.

"That's better," he murmured, smiling at her. "That's much better.

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Stella blinked at Mac. "What?" She couldn't believe her ears. "Say that again?"

"Derek Ames killed the victim in that case Kate was working on."

"How do you figure that?" Stella was flabbergasted. "Did you request the evidence?"

"Took DNA from Derek Ames' locker and from his desk," Mac shrugged. "He was careful not to leave anything on the flowers and notes he sent Kate, but he left pieces of himself in the Lab. It matches the DNA on the victim. And the DNA in the sperm found when the coroner did an assault kit."

"So if he did kill she,"Stella said slowly, the light in her eyes blinking on, "then James was protecting him. Why? Why would you do that?"

"Going to bat for your brother," Mac echoed the words Danny had spoken years before when his brother Louie had been accused of murder. "It's like going to bat for your brother."

"I don't follow," Stella frowned. "How are you going to use that to find him?"

"Sam Caulfield loved his brother," Mac explained. "He always denied that James killed that girl. So if we tell him that Derek did it then he'll give up the location."

"But Derek is the only family he has," Stella argued. "How can we guarantee that he'll give him up?"

"Easy," Mac told her. "He's afraid of Derek. And he knows what he's capable of."

"Exploit the weak link," Stella mused.

"It's all we've got," Mac said evenly. "We need to find Kate, or she'll end up dead or comatose like Tara."

"Let's go." Stella headed for the door.

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Flack glared at the man sitting in front of him. "You should really just tell me what I need to know." His tone was even, but his eyes were hot with temper. "I'm not in the mood for waiting."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Sam said insolently. "You can't make me."

Flack had had just about enough. "You think so?" He shot out a hand and grabbed Sam by the collar. "You really think so?"

"Flack!" Stella stood in the doorway, flanked by Mac and Hawkes. "Let go of him."

Flack growled. "He knows where she is, Stell. He can tell us."

"He'll tell us," Stella said quietly, her eyes hardening as she looked at the terrified Caulfield. "Let me take this one."

Flack hesitated, still gripping Sam tightly. "I don't know, Stell. Maybe we can just let Danny beat it out of him."

Sam squawked in protest. "You can't do that. It's police brutality."

"Enough!" Stella slammed her hands on the table in front of her. "Listen to me. You are aiding the kidnapping of a police officer. That's a felony. You get that?"

"I won't tell you."

"Do you know that Derek Ames killed Emily?" Stella spoke casually. Flack had taken up a position behind her, standing with his arms folded. His gaze was steely.

"You're lying." Sam spoke up, but without his previous confidence. "You're lying to make me tell you."

"I have evidence," Stella said, keeping her tone even and light. "The evidence that Derek hid from you."

"You're lying!"

"DNA doesn't lie, Sam," Flack cut in. "And the DNA says that Derek killed that girl. She was only eighteen, Sam."

"I never knew her. She doesn't matter."

"But your brother does," Stella said quietly. "He matters to you. And he died in a prison cell because of Derek Ames."

"Liar!" He screamed the denial, his face turning red with rage. "All of you! Liars!"

"He killed her and let your brother take the blame." Stella raised her voice to be heard over his screams. "And all that crap about his mother? Crap." She looked straight at him. "Derek did this."

"You know it's the truth, Sam," Flack told him. "Now do something about it."

"I can't," Sam whispered. He seemed to sink into himself, all the fight gone. "It's too late." Tears in his eyes, he looked at Stella. "I locked Kate in the body cooler. I did that."

"We know," Stella replied. "But you didn't mean to. You were only following orders."

"I did mean to," he cried. "I wanted her to hurt like I was."

"That's not wrong," Stella said carefully, laying a restraining hand on Flack's arm. "But you need to make it right now, Sam. Tell us where Derek has her."

"I can't." Sam began to sob. "He'll kill me."

"Like he killed James." Stella was still speaking calmly, even though she was quivering with excitement. Almost there, she thought. Just a little more.

"We can help you," Flack told the distraught man. "If you help us we can help you."

Sam looked up at him. "You can?"  
"Tell us where she is," Flack retorted. "And we can talk about it."

Outside, Mac and Hawkes listened as Sam finally broke and rattled off the address. Flack and Stella got to their feet and came outside the window. Flack's face was grim with determination.

"Let's go."

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"That was easy," Lindsay commented to Danny as they stood outside the building where Kate was being held hostage.

"Thank God," her husband answered fervently. He gripped her hands tightly. "Remember the last time we had to storm a building like this?"

"I remember." Lindsay shuddered at the memory of finding Danny inside the warehouse, bleeding and weakened after the drug bust that had nearly killed them. "Thank God that turned out ok."

Danny kissed her softly. "This one will too, Montana."

"Ok," Mac was saying as they joined the others in front of what SWAT called the war wagon. He was passing out bullet vests. All of them were in SWAT gear, with Flack and Stella the only ones in plain clothes. Flack stood next to him, checking his weapon. "I want teams of four sweeping the building. Flack, you and Stella are with Davis and Sully. Lindsay, Danny, go with Bosco and Yokas. Hawkes, Angell, you're with me."

They nodded assent, dividing up immediately. "Be careful," Mac warned. "We don't want this guy to snap and hurt someone."

Flack carefully pried open the door, gun pointed ahead of him. The building looked like an old church. Flack checked the extra bullets clipped to his belt and proceeded in towards the back of the building, listening intently. Stella crept behind him, her face pale in the dimmed light.

"No sound," he whispered to her. "I don't hear her." Motioning to the others to come forward, he took a deep breath.

"You ready?" Stella asked him. She was flanking him on the right. Mac stood to his left, like soldiers following a General into battle.

"Let's do this," he told her with a nod.

"Police! Hands in the air!"

The cries echoed through the old building, bouncing off the roof and reverberating around the room. Above it all, a scream was heard.

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"Stop struggling!" Derek ordered Kate as he straddled her. She was bucking wildly, her entire body screaming in pain. "I said stop it!" The crack of his hand across her cheekbone echoed through the room. With a laugh, he began to unbutton her jeans.

Kate fought like a tigress, scratching, lashing out at him, but with her hands tied she was no match for his superior strength. His hands were burrowing under her jeans, touching her. She began to choke on the gag he'd put in her mouth.

"You're going to like it." His voice was floating through her numbed brain. "You're going to like it." Those evil eyes stared down at her. He leaned down again, his lips touching her ear. "Tara did."

At the sound of her sister's name, Kate seemed to snap. She reared up, bringing her knee into his groin. As he rolled off her with a groan, she heard a banging noise. The sound of voices filled her ears.

"Police!"

She ran to the window, catching the gag on a rusty nail to pull it from her mouth. The nail scraped down her cheek, leaving a cut across her jaw. She was beyond caring.

As Derek surged to his feet and came towards her, his eyes almost black with rage, she opened her mouth and let out a scream.

"Help me!"

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Flack heard the scream and raced in the direction of the sound. He threw open the first door he saw and burst into it, gun trained ahead of him. Stella and Davis were hot on his heels.

"Clear!" Stella called out, sweeping the room rapidly.

The scream sounded again, and Flack looked at Stella. "Next door!"

She was already running out of the room. Mac had heard the noise and was headed towards the room at the back of the building. Flack reached it one step ahead of them and flung the door open.

Ames had Kate shoved against the wall at the rear corner. He was struggling with her. "Let her go, Ames." Flack's voice was icy. "Step away from her."

Derek turned around and smiled. Stella looked at his eyes and shivered in response. They were cold eyes. Empty eyes. They were mad eyes.

Kate was staring at Flack, her green eyes huge and terrified. Blood ran from a cut on her cheek and her auburn curls were tangled and falling down her back. Her hands were bound and she was shirtless.

A muscle in Flack's jaw twitched as he took in her unbuttoned jeans and the livid bruising on her ribs. He kept his temper in check as he turned to Ames. "Step away from her."

"Or what," Ames taunted, brandishing the knife he had in his pocket. "You'll shoot me?" He was still too close to Kate. "I'll stab her before I go down. We both know it."

Flack kept his eyes on the other man, knowing that Danny was edging around out of his peripheral vision, hoping for a shot. "Hurt her again and I'll kill you."

He stepped closer to her, ran a finger down her neck. Kate's eyes met Flack's, pleading silently with him. He hesitated slightly, and then raised his gun. "Don't tempt me, Ames. I will shoot you."

"Go ahead!" Derek thrust out his chin. "Shoot me. If you do, your little woman here dies too."

"You won't get away with that, Derek," Mac spoke up. He trained his gaze on Derek. "You know you won't. You have a room full of cops with guns pointed at you. Just let her go now."

"She killed my mother!" He screamed at them, his eyes wild. "It was her fault."

Kate kept perfectly still. Her eyes were starting to glaze over. Flack knew that she'd fall soon. He trained his gun on Derek Ames again and sent a prayer up to anyone who might be listening.

"Don't come any closer!" Ames screamed, grabbing Kate and pressing the knife to her throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Danny creeping up on his side. With a howl of rage he whirled around to face him.

Flack used the break in his concentration to aim. The shot rang out, shattering the silence of the room. Kate's horrified gaze met his. Her cheek and neck were spattered with Ames' blood.

Immediately, the room spun into action. Davis and Bosco stepped forward, weapons pointed at Ames' prone body. Bosco kicked his body over, looking in disgust at his sightless eyes. They seemed to be still looking at Kate, who remained frozen in place.

"Kate?" Flack approached the other woman, careful not to startle her. "Kate?"

Finally, her eyes met his. She blinked once, and then slid to the floor in a dead faint. Flack lunged to catch her before she hit the floor again. The relief spreading through him buckled him and he went to his knees. Kate still in his arms.

"We need a bus here!" Stella was shouting into a radio. "Now!"

Outside, sirens wailed and lights flashed as the police and fire services spread the news across the city the old fashioned way.

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Dee watched as her friend slept in the hospital bed. The last twelve hours had been the most terrifying she'd ever endured. The sight of Kate in the ER, her face cut, her body battered, had been terrifying. She sent a silent thank you to whatever powers had kept her unconscious while Lindsay and Stella did a thorough work up on her.

Tears rose in her eyes. How could this have happened? Tara was still comatose, showing no sign of recovering, and Kate lay in a bed yards away, also unconscious.

Arms snaked around her waist. She closed her eyes and leaned back against Brian. "You ok?" His low voice rumbled in her ear.

She shook her head blindly. "No."

He tightened his hold on her. "You will be."

The watched through the window as Kate slept, unaware of what was going on around her. Flack sat beside her bed, willing her to wake up. He held her small hand in his larger one, gently stroking the scraped knuckles with his thumb.

She had been out for almost three hours now, the ordeal finally catching up to her.

"She wake up yet?" Danny whispered from the door. Lindsay stood behind him.

"No," he replied quietly, his eyes never leaving her face. "She'll be out for another while, they think."

"We'll check in on Tara," Lindsay told him. She crossed to his side to kiss his cheek. "You saved her life, Don. You should be proud of that."

"Yeah." He continued to watch her as she slept, the rise and fall of her chest, the long lashes sweeping her pale cheeks. "Real proud."

"Hey Don, don't beat yourself up over that son of a bitch," Danny said quietly. "He nearly killed her."

"I know," Flack muttered. "I did what I had to do." He sat up as Kate stirred slightly, whimpering a little in her sleep.

"She ok?" Danny asked, concerned. "She's a little edgy."

"She's sedated," Flack explained. "She needed some fluids but they're almost through. She's been a little unsettled."

Lindsay nodded. "She flinched a little when we were processing her. "

Flack's jaw tightened at the mention of the exam Stella and Lindsay had done. Seeing his reaction, Danny understood what his friend was thinking. He looked at his wife, who nodded and kissed him before leaving the room.

Danny pulled up the chair next to Flack and sat down. "You ok?"

"Fine," Flack shrugged. "I wasn't the one held and tortured for hours."

"Different kind of torture," Danny said mildly, sitting back and folding his arms. "I know what you're thinking, Don."

Flack looked at him, anguish in his blue eyes. "What if he-" He couldn't say it. "I mean, we see it every day. We deal with it every day. And we don't let it affect us." He paused, scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "We can't let it get us. "

"This is different," Danny told him. "This time, she's important to you."

"We barely know each other, Mess," Flack said. "We haven't even had our second date yet!"

"You're obsessed with this second date," Danny shot back. "Number of times doesn't matter. What matters is how you feel about her."

"She's special," Flack said honestly. "She could be special."

"Then let her be," Danny told him. "She could be the best thing to ever happen to you."

"What if he-"

"If he did," Danny interrupted, "then you help her. If she asks you to, you give her space and you help her whatever way you can."

"She told me she wasn't strong enough to be strong for Tara," Flack said in a low voice. "What if I'm not enough for her?"

"You're worrying about something that may not happen," Danny said firmly. "Wait for her to wake up, huh? Then see what's what."

Flack gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Messer."

"You're my friend," Danny shrugged. "What else would I do?"

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Kate felt the sensation of someone holding her hand before she opened her eyes. A large, warm hand covered hers, stroking it gently. Another hand gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

She struggled to open her eyes. When she finally managed to pry her eyelids apart, she was hit with a pain in her side that almost left her breathless. She gave a small moan.

Concerned blue eyes hovered near her face and a low voice asked her if she could hear him.

"Don?" She croaked out the word, her throat burning at the effort.

"Sshh," he said gently. "Don't try to talk yet. I'll get the nurse."

"Tara?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, she's still the same." He disappeared from her view and she fought back the panic clawing at her.

"Don!"

"I'm right here," he called. "It's ok."

Lights shone in her eyes, hands pressed at her side, making her cry out in pain. Voices called her name, demanding to know if she knew where she was. What day was it? Did she remember what had happened? Could she tell them how many fingers were in front of her? Or what date she was born?"

When they shone the lights in her eyes again, she began to whimper. "Stop."

"That's a good girl," the nurse said soothingly. "It's ok now, honey. You can open your eyes."

"Go 'way," she whispered, batting weakly at the hands that were skimming at her sides. "Don, make them go away."

His low chuckle sounded near her left ear. "Sorry, Irish. They need to check that you're still in one piece."

"Get Dee. She'll make them stop."

Finally, the nurse left her alone, telling them that Doctor Browne would be along to check her properly in a few minutes.

"How are you feeling?" Flack asked, gingerly taking one of her hands in his. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember you," she rasped. "He had me. You shot him." She closed her eyes. "You killed him."

"I had to," Flack told her. "He had a knife to your throat. He'd have killed you."

"Saved me." Her eyelids were drooping. "You saved me."

She fell asleep again clinging to his hand.

"She's probably going to sleep a little while longer," Dr Browne stated to the assembled members of the Crime Unit outside Kate's door. "You should go home. Get some rest. We'll keep her in overnight to observe her. You can probably take her home tomorrow."

"I doubt she'll go home," Flack told him. "Her sister is in the ICU."

"Tara Kennedy," Dr Browne nodded. "I had heard. Ok. We'll keep her a few days in that case. It may be better."

"Doctor?" Flack stopped him with a hand to his arm. "Is she going to be ok?"

"Physically, she'll be fine. Emotionally is quite another matter. Trauma like this can result in nightmares, insomnia, irrational fears and claustrophobia. The drugs we gave her will make her sleep for a while. She'll be quite drowsy when she wakes and may not remember all of what happened."

Flack's jaw dropped. "All that? She's got to go through all that? "

"And more," Dr Browne confirmed. "She'll need to be cleared by your department psychiatrist before returning to work."

"Not a problem," Mac told him. "We'll have that arranged." He shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Dr Browne offered them a smile before leaving them alone.

"You guys head home," Flack told them. "I'll wait until she wakes up."

"I'll call Angell and let her know that Kate's ok," Hawkes said. "And then I think I'll have a chat to her doctor again."

"We'll give you a ride home," Lindsay offered to Stella, who shook her head.  
"Flynn's coming to get me in-there he is!" She beamed as her husband came through the doors and pulled her into a hug. "Now I'm better," she added with a sigh.

"Call if you need us?" Mac looked over at Flack, who nodded.

"Night, guys."

"Goodnight."

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The scream woke him out of a light sleep and had him rushing to the bed. Kate sat straight up, screaming loudly.

"It's ok, Kate. It's ok, you're safe now." He tried to put an arm around her but she shuddered away from him, crying out at the pain in her side as she did so.

"Get away from me!"

"Kate." He spoke firmly. "It's Don. It was a nightmare. Just a bad dream. It's ok."

She was shaking. "He's dead. He's not coming back."

"He's gone. Remember? He won't hurt you anymore." Flack sat at the edge of the bed, ignoring her cringe when he reached out and held her hand. "Kate, lie down."

"You won't leave?"

He covered her with the blanket, and then kissed her forehead gently. "I won't leave. I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?"

Kate closed her eyes. "I can see his eyes," she murmured. "When I close mine, I can see his eyes. He was going to…he tried to…" Her shoulders shook and tears seeped out from under her eyelids.

Flack watched her curl up and cry softly. Acting on instinct, he stretched out on the narrow bed and pulled her up against him. She turned slowly so that her head was resting on his chest.

"Go to sleep, baby," he murmured softly in her ear. "I'll be here when you wake up."

She sighed once, and fell into a deep sleep, tears still clinging to her lashes. Only when her breathing evened and slowed down did Flack close his own eyes and drop into a sound sleep, still holding her.

**Ok so, fluff. I like it. If you don't I'm sorry! Hope you enjoyed this one. Please let me know!**


	21. It All Falls Down

**131 reviews. I am in review heaven! Thanks to all the regular readers for taking the time and to all those who added "For Kate's Sake" to their lists of favourites etc. It was so lovely to see it. After taking a break yesterday and catching up on my reading and reviewing I have decided to get back into it full whack again. Although updates may be slow for a few days (I'm going to a wedding on Saturday, first big outing with the new b/f wish me luck!) I will try to get them up as fast as possible. **

**Maddy: Whiskey is a possibility; I don't think she'll turn to the drink though. She's got too much to lose if she does. She's got tough times ahead though. **

**Forest Angel: Thanks for dropping in, I know you're up to your eyes! Tara is going to feature in the next few chapters, I have plans for her! **

**Dangermouse00: Patience is obviously one of your strong points. I'd be hollering like a fishwife at the computer by now! **

**Hope4sall: You will have to wait and see. I'll be going back to my box set for canon soon, just want to get some things cleared up first. **

**SoccerBitch: I'm so glad you like it. Thank you for reviewing.**

**Chapter 21. It All Falls Down.**

Kate opened her eyes when she heard the tap at the door. Tensing against the flash of fear that had been ever present for the past three days, she relaxed when she spotted Dee and Brian standing in the doorway.

Brian was lugging a huge overnight bag that Kate recognised as Tara's. She forced herself to smile as she looked up from her sister's still form to her friend's face. It had been three days and despite moving Tara away from the Isolation room and down the hall to another private room, she still hadn't woken up.

"Hey," she greeted Dee with a hug, wincing at the pain in her still tender ribs. "What have you guys got there?"

"Some stuff to cheer this room up," Dee announced. She surveyed Kate's face closely, her keen nurse's eye taking in the scratch marring Kate's jaw, the way she held herself stiffly, not wanting to jar her ribs. She knew that Kate wasn't sleeping in the hospital, because Flack had told her.

Since she'd been admitted three days ago, Flack had been a constant visitor to the little room on the floor below them. He'd dropped in before and after his shifts at the house, sometimes even during the day if he was able. Dee privately thought that he was falling head over heels for her friend. Kate wasn't so sure. She still claimed that he felt obligated to be around after what had happened.

Brian had scoffed at the notion that Donald Flack Junior was doing anything he didn't want to do. He claimed that the detective was "smitten" and that Kate had better take advantage of it.

All this had been discussed last night in Kate's room when she'd been unable to sleep. She'd confessed to Dee that Derek Ames' eyes haunted her dreams, keeping her awake and making her panic in the dark.

"That's nice," Kate said softly, turning back to Tara.

"How's she doing today?" Brian asked casually, squeezing her shoulder gently and taking no notice of her involuntary flinch.

"No change," Kate told him. "She still hasn't woken up and the doctors keep telling me that I have to wait for the swelling to go down."

"They're not lying," Dee put in, opening the bag and pulling a fleecy purple comforter out of it. She draped it on the end of the bed and smiled. "It's against hospital policy, blah blah, but she's one of us. We'll overlook it."

Dee was dressed for her upcoming night shift in her pink scrubs and sneakers. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and she looked like Kate's idea of a children's nurse with her bright yellow stethoscope and the smiling Winnie the Pooh face on her name badge. "I'm putting this beside her bed too."

Kate looked at the picture of the three of them, taken during an outing to Central Park before Tara's attack. Dee had one arm around Kate and Tara was hanging over her other shoulder. All three girls were laughing at the camera.

"I took that one," Brian remembered with a smile at Dee. "You gals look good!"

"We always look good," Dee told him severely. "You just never notice it."

"Untrue," Brian protested, laughing as she elbowed him in the ribs. "Get off me, woman!"

Dee gave up, turning to Kate with another picture in her hands. It was of the Kennedy family, taken before Tara had moved to New York at a cousin's wedding in Ireland. The girls had been bridesmaids, and wore identical strapless ice blue gowns with blue flowers in their hair.  
"Can't tell you apart in that one," Brian commented, looking over her shoulder. "You guys pack a hell of a punch, though."

"Thanks," Kate replied, gently putting the photograph beside the other one on Tara's bedside locker. "It was a fun day."

"Irish weddings are wild," Dee remembered. "I went to one once. It started at two o clock in the church and continued all night. I mean all night!"

"Sounds like fun." Brian got up. "I hate to leave you ladies, but I have to go on shift at two."

"Will you be over in the morning?" Dee tipped her face to his for a kiss. "They're sending Kate home now and I told her I'd check in on Tara while I'm here tonight."

"I don't want to go home," Kate said mutinously. "I can't work for another three weeks anyway. Why should I be at home instead of here?"

"Because," Dee told her firmly, "you need to heal. And rest. And you need to go and see Dr Stevens at the station anyway."

"I don't need to-"

"Glad to see being held hostage hasn't changed your charming personality," Brian told her, dodging the blow his girlfriend sent his way. "See you later!" He departed with a wink and a grin.

"How can he be so cheerful?" Kate wondered. "I feel like I can't even smile."

Dee sat down across from her friend and took her hands. "Kate, listen to me." She waited until Kate looked at her before continuing. "Coma patients respond to stimuli. They say that the hearing is the last to go. Oh God, don't look like that, Tara isn't dying, Kate. She just needs time." Crossing her fingers mentally, Dee ploughed on. "We need to start thinking that this could turn into weeks. Maybe longer. We just don't know yet."

"Weeks?" Kate stared at her in horror. "Longer than that?"

"It's only early stages yet," Dee reminded her gently. "You need to start talking to her normally. Not begging her to wake up or blaming yourself because she's in this position. We need to start making her want to wake up."

Kate flicked her eyes from her twin to Dee's earnest blue ones and nodded slowly. "Ok. What do you want me to do?"

Dee smiled, her eyes suspiciously bright. "We need to make this a little less like a hospital and a little more like her own room. And honey, you need to go home and get some rest. Proper rest," she emphasized when Kate opened her mouth.

"Ok." Kate agreed meekly. "I'll go home when Don gets here." She took the bundle of clothes Dee handed her and disappeared into the bathroom. When she emerged ten minutes later, dressed in a pair of dark grey sweats and a soft navy fleece sweater, she looked marginally better. "Hey!" She looked around the room in amazement. "This place looks great."

Dee surveyed the photographs on the nightstand, the fleece comforter and the purple cushions on the visitor's chair. She was putting a small stereo on the window ledge and some of Tara's favourite cds next to it. "Just some stuff I'd miss if I was stuck in a hospital. I've also thought of how we can work this."

"Work what?"

"Being here," Dee answered, putting a pink nightshirt on the end of the bed. "They'll put it on her," she explained at Kate's puzzled look. "The buttons up the front make it easier to change the catheter and the IV lines when they need to."

"Ok," Kate agreed, watching as Dee put a brush and a comb in the drawer. "But Dee, won't they say it's forbidden in ICU to have these things around? Patient care and all that?"

"You let me worry about that," Dee told her. "I'm only on the other side of this wing. Paeds will run without me for a few minutes at a time while I drop by here."

"I don't want to leave her alone," Kate told her. "She wouldn't leave me if it was me lying there."

"She won't be alone," Dee said, pointing a finger at her. "You have friends who'll sit with her. And her colleagues will too." She fussed with the bedclothes for another minute and turned to look at her handiwork. "There," she announced with a broad smile." All done."

Kate tried to smile, but tears coursed down her cheeks. "It's all so permanent," she sobbed when Dee turned questioning eyes to her. "I can't think that she might not wake up, Dee. I can't do it."

"Then don't," Dee soothed, coming to rub Kate's shoulders gently. "Don't think like that."

Kate knuckled tears from her eyes and nodded obediently. Dee gave her an encouraging smile, one that didn't quite reach her blue eyes. "That's a good girl."

Kate scowled and gave a startled squeak as the door opened and Flack waked in, pulling at his tie. Weariness was etched across his face and his bright blue eyes were shadowed. He flicked a glance at the changes Dee had made to the little room and nodded at Kate.

"You ready to go?"

She took a deep breath and nodded quietly. "Yes." Leaning over to kiss her sister's forehead, she whispered something in her ear. Dee turned away to hide the tears sparkling in her eyes.

"What did you say to her?" Flack asked when they were in the car, heading away from the hospital and towards their apartment building.

Kate looked at him, confused. "To Tara? "

"Yeah."

"I told her I love her, and that I'm ok. And that I'll be back first thing in the morning." Kate stared out the window at the passing traffic, the lights dancing across her pale face.

"How are you holding up?" He asked the question in a neutral tone, not wanting to corner her into talking about something she wanted to forget.

"I'm ok," she replied, still staring out the window. "Only bruising on the ribs, right side where he kicked me, left where I fell."

Flack's jaw clenched as he fought to control the urge to pound the steering wheel. "Did the doc say when you could go back to work?" His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"In a few weeks," she answered vaguely, surprised when she noticed that they were parked outside the apartment building. "We're home."

"Kate." Flack's voice was very low, very gentle.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're ok?" He was watching her for signs that she was about to break. She'd tossed and turned in her sleep for the past two nights, only relaxing when someone else was there with her. Dr Browne had kept her mildly sedated for the first two days, only allowing her to go cold turkey today. He didn't want her to jar her injured sides in her sleep.

"I'll be fine." Her tone was flat. She unbuckled her belt and opened the door of the Jeep. "Are you finished work or do you have to go back in?"

"I'm all done." Flack gave up pushing her. "You can stay at my place if you want, or I can take your couch."

"I'm fine." Kate forced herself to breathe over the sudden pressure in her chest. "I just need a shower, and my own bed."

"Kate, I know you're worried about Tara, but you can't do anything for her if you collapse from exhaustion and stress."

"Doc Browne gave me some painkillers," Kate told him. "I'll take them and go to sleep. You can check in on me in the morning. I'll even give you my spare key."

They were walking to the elevator as they argued. Kate stabbed the button and waited impatiently, tapping one small foot as she did so. The elevator doors opened and she started to step inside. And stopped.

"I'll take the stairs," she decided. "I think that I'll take the stairs."

A large hand gently curled around her shaking one, and she looked up into soft blue eyes. He guided her into the elevator and held her hand in his until the doors opened on the fourth floor. She followed him down the hall in silence and into her apartment, casting a furtive glance over her shoulder as he locked the door and put her bag down.

"Go take that shower," he told her, gently pushing her towards her bedroom. "I'll go get you something to eat."

Kate trudged towards her bedroom, intending to go and shower and change into her pyjamas. She passed Tara's door and stopped. Pushing in the door, she looked around the room. Tara's scrubs lay in a heap on the floor near the door of the bathroom they shared. A pot of her favourite blue eye shadow sat open on the dresser next to her hairbrush. The bed was unmade, as usual, Kate thought with a wry smile. She pulled up the covers and smoothed out the ruffles in the pillow. Her eyes fell on a silver locket lying on the nightstand. She'd given the locket to Tara for their twenty first birthdays. They'd fallen about laughing when she'd opened her present to find an identical one from her sister.

Flack paused in the doorway of Tara's room, feeling a little awkward. Kate was sitting on the edge of her sister's bed, a silver chain dangling from her fingers. She looked so small, he thought. Like a child missing its mother. "Kate?"

"I'm ok," she assured him, quickly getting to her feet. "It just feels like years since I've been here instead of days."

"I heated up some soup." Flack just looked at her steadily. "Feel like eating something?"

"I want to go back to the hospital," Kate told him sharply. "I don't want to be here without her."

"Kate, she's not dead," Flack sighed. "You need to get some rest. In the morning, I'll take you back myself. But for tonight, you need to sleep." He was relieved to see the light flash into her green eyes, colour appearing in her pale cheeks as her temper rose.

"Not dead?! Her voice was like ice. "No, Flack, she's not dead. But she is lying in a hospital because of me and my job and you want me to rest?"

He had the grace to wince slightly. "Ok, so maybe I didn't say that right, but I'm just-"

"Worried about me, I know." All the fight seemed to drain out of her and she sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Don. I'm just so tired and I feel like I shouldn't sleep in case she wakes up and I-"

"Ok," Flack cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Here's what you're going to do. First, shower. Then, come up and eat something. I made soup, for God's sake and – what are you smiling at?"

"The idea of Detective Donald Flack Junior making soup," she admitted, crossing the room to where he was standing. She gave him a brief hug before disappearing into the bathroom again. The door shut behind her and he exhaled loudly. The door flew open again and she poked her head out. "Is it chicken noodle?"

"Shut up, Kennedy."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Flack looked up from his spot on the couch when Kate wandered into the living room, her hair dripping water in her wake. "You'll get a cold like that," he remarked, pointing at the wet curls hanging down her back.

"It'll dry," she replied, spooning some soup into a bowl and parking herself at the kitchen table. She looked at the soup, wondering if she would be able to eat it without choking.

"It's not laced with poison, you know," Flack told her, amused at her wrinkled nose.

"I'm not hungry," she admitted with a grimace. "I can't seem to make myself swallow anything."

"You have the constitution of a damn bird, Kate," Flack told her with a shake of his head. "Little bird bones."

"I do not have bird bones," Kate protested, throwing him a deadly glare. She laughed when he quirked one eyebrow at her and grinned, dimples flashing in his cheeks.

Flack watched as the smile disappeared from her face like a light dying. "What?"

"I'm here laughing when Tara is…"

"Tara is in hospital," Flack said firmly. "She's in the best place for her right now and you smiling is not going to kill her." He could have bitten off his tongue as soon as he said it and the colour leached from her face.

"I think you should go home now," she said quietly.

"Kate, you shouldn't be alone tonight."

She gave a snort. "That's a good line, Flack. You use that on all the girls?"

"I know you're hurting, and scared," he began, praying for patience. "But don't go there. Just don't."

"I want to sleep," she said, refusing to meet his eyes. "Don, please. I just want to be by myself for a while."

"You told me not to leave. Even if you asked me to." He stood up when she did, blocking her path to her bedroom. "I'll take the couch."

"Go home, Don," she repeated, standing on tiptoes to brush a kiss against his cheek. "I'm ok."

Flack barely suppressed the urge to scream. Because it was girly and because she'd freak out, he told himself. "I'm going next door to grab a change of clothes and a shower. Either you come in with me or I stay here with you. You pick."

Kate was about to answer when the doorbell rang. She went to answer it to find Stella standing there, a box of takeout in her hand. "Hi," she greeted the other detective, ushering her in.

"Hey, Stell, what's up?" Flack took the takeout and put it in the refrigerator. "Flynn throw you out?"

"No," Stella said, poking out her tongue at him.

"Very mature," Flack commented, ducking the pillow she tossed at him. "Hey!"

"I came over because Flynn is working late tonight and he's going to stay at the base. I thought that maybe you wanted some company while you're here alone."

"Thanks, Stella," Kate said gratefully. "That's sweet of you."

"It's brilliant," Flack declared. "You're so much more than a pretty face, Stella."

"Thank you," Stella smiled. "I aim to please."

After assuring Flack that she would watch Kate and not let her out until the morning, Stella locked the door behind him and turned to Kate, who was curled up on the couch, eyes closed.  
"He's smothering me," she said, cracking open one eye as Stella joined her on the couch.

"He cares about you," Stella corrected, kicking off her shoes and curling up next to her. "He's protective. It's in his nature." She smiled at Kate's snort and continued. "You're not the type he usually dates, but that's irrelevant. He really cares about you, Kate."

"He does?"

"He does," Stella confirmed with a nod. "He was out of his mind when he went up to that lab and you weren't there. And when he shot Ames, well. That wasn't easy for him, but the alternative was you getting killed so he didn't hesitate."

"He saved me," Kate mused. "And he did it without blinking." A small smile played about her lips as she thought about their date. "I really care about him, Stell. And the thought that he might be hurt because of me was…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Stell. I shouldn't even be thinking about him."

"Why the hell not?" Stella demanded. "Do you think Tara wants you to be lying in bed because she is?" She softened her tone at Kate's stricken look. "Ok, so that didn't come out right."

"Lot of that going around," Kate muttered. She rubbed her exhausted eyes. "I'm going to go crash out for a while. You take my bed. I'll sleep in Tara's room."

"You sure?" Stella asked her.

Kate nodded. "Yeah. I'll sleep better there, closer to her somehow."

Stella nodded sympathetically. "Call if you need me."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate bolted upright in bed, heart pounding, hair clinging to her flushed face. She dropped back on her pillow and looked at the ceiling, willing her breathing to return to normal and her heart to stop hammering in her chest.

The room was dark, the streetlight had stopped working a while ago and they were still waiting to have it fixed. She looked at her cell, wondering if Dee had called while she'd been asleep. No messages.

Tossing and turning an hour later, she squeezed her eyes shut and ordered herself to sleep. An image of Tara lying in hospital, still and pale, flashed into her head, followed by Derek Ames leering grey eyes. Flack standing, gun pointed at him; the sound of a shot ringing and the warm wetness of Ames blood on her neck and her cheek.

She couldn't take it anymore. Jumping out of bed, she headed to the front door and opened it with a soft click. She knocked softly on the door of Flack's apartment.

He opened it, bare chested, hair tousled, blue eyes heavy with sleep. They widened with concern when he took in her rumpled curls and her wide eyes.

"You ok?"

She brushed past him, into the living room slash kitchen and into his bedroom. He followed her warily, wondering if she'd actually snapped and gone raving mad. "Kate?"

"Couldn't' sleep," she murmured, sitting on his bed and looking up at him. "Bad dreams."

HE had to sit next to her to hear her. "What?"

"I can't sleep," she admitted in a louder tone. "I can't sleep, Don. I keep seeing him, and hearing him. I...I feel him touch me in my sleep. And I keep seeing Tara, and thinking she's calling me." She looked up at him, eyes full of tears. "I think I'm going mad."

Flack sighed and took her hands in his. "You're not going mad, Kate. You're reacting to what happened to you. It's normal. Remember? Doc Browne said this would happen."

"I've always had Tara to talk to," Kate said sadly, looking down at their joined hands. "I wish I could tell her about this. She'd understand."

"Tell her tomorrow," Flack suggested. "For now, you can sleep here." He reached over to his nightstand for his phone and tapped a few words quickly. "I'll let Stella know you're here."

Kate lay down on his bed and quickly rolled into the space he'd vacated. It was warm from his body and the sheets smelled like him. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

Flack leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Sleep tight. I'll be on the couch."

"Don?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave." She rolled over and held out a hand. "Please. Don't leave."

Flack stared silently at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "This is a bad idea, Kate. At least wait until we've had our second date."

She blushed. "I didn't mean that. I meant, don't leave."

He hesitated another second, then slowly climbed into bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her small frame carefully. "I don't want to hit off your ribs."

Her soft sigh tickled his chest as she burrowed into him. "You won't." She burrowed closer. "Don?"

"Yeah?"

"This could count as our second date, couldn't it?"

**Enough of all the fluffy stuff for another while much as I like the idea of snuggling with Flack! Kate will be heading back to work in the next chapter and Tara will be, well, I haven't quite figured out what to do with her. Any suggestions? Sorry its short, but I'm up to my neck at the mo. I'll be good again soon! Thanks for reviewing!**


	22. Thank God

**Hi everyone, thank god the weekend is over. After losing out on a full night's sleep thanks to a wedding, I'm back to basics again today and hope to post this one and the next as soon as possible! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter, and to the newcomers who added me to Alerts and Favourites. **

**Madison B: I don't write enough Stella, I'm told. So I thought that I'd slip her in there. I know who I'd prefer to be around though!**

**BEG75: Flack and the cuddling was my own personal daydream. My b/f doesn't like him much either lol it doesn't help that I call him the love of my life I guess. But who could resist those baby blue eyes. **

**Katydid13: She's going to have to wake up soon; she's not really adding anything to the story lying there! **

**Dangermouse00: I know, I've dragged it out a little, sorry bout that! I'm going to try and move them on a little, just for you!**

**Hope4sall: Thank you. I have to say, cuddling up to Flack anywhere, anytime, sounds good to me. Glad you liked it. Kate's friends are important to her, so they deserve the spotlight now and then.**

**Laplangurl****: She's got some work to do on the psych side for sure. It'll take her a while. But she's going to be ok. I'm a total sucker for things turning out right in the end! **

**Mrs.Ioan.Gruffud: Cool pen name, btw, love him! How yummy was he in King Arthur?! Glad you like Kate, hope you continue to read. I love to hear from people. I was watching the boxset of Miami and I loved that one, so I decided to put it in my own story. I don't know if I'll use Miami again, there are some other really good episodes in it, so it's possible. **

**Shane Vanson: I love Bosco. They're showing the repeats on FX UK now and I'm glued to it every day. But Davis….well he's my own personal favourite on TW. I'll keep your suggestion in mind it's tying in with something I had thought myself. I'm quite a sucker for the happy ending myself. **

**Xomgitslixie: Thank you, and nice to hear from a new reader. I really hope you like the next one. **

**Chapter 22. Thank God. **

"…so then I ended up sleeping in Don's bed. Can you imagine that?" Kate stroked her sister's hand as she talked softly to her. "He was a perfect gentleman," she added with a wry smile. "I'll tell you something though." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "He's a bed hog. I mean seriously. He just gets into bed and sprawls all over the place."

Tara didn't stir. Kate sighed and sat back again. It had been almost three weeks since the attack and still no sign of her sister waking up. Doctor Browne said the dramatic reduction in the swelling on her brain should have made a difference by now, but no such luck. Tara still hadn't moved.

"My bruising is almost gone," Kate told her, keeping her voice cheerful even though she felt like screaming at her sister to wake up. "You should have seen Don's face when I showed it to him. He got this tic in his jaw."

"I did not get a tic," Flack protested from the doorway, making Kate turn bright red. "And my Mama brought me up better than to jump a girl's bones when she's hurting."

"How long have you been there?" Kate demanded, tipping her head back to look up at him as he joined her at Tara's bedside.

"Long enough," he answered. "You ready to go?"

Kate hesitated. "I'm going to work today," she told Tara softly. "So you better be awake when I get back tonight. I'll arrest your ass if you're not."

Flack slung an arm over her shoulders as they walked down the corridor towards the elevators. "You ok?"

She looked up at him, her eyes filling. "I feel like I'm leaving her here alone," she admitted. "What if she wakes up and I'm not there?"

"Then she'll be awake," Flack said, pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head. "And that's all that matters."

When they got off the elevator, Lindsay was standing in the ER hallway. She smiled at them as they got off the elevator. "Hey guys. Back to work today, Kate?"

"Yep," Kate answered, eyeing her suspiciously. "Why are you in the ER? Nobody hurt is there?"

"No," Lindsay answered. "I'm off for a few hours. I thought I'd sit with Tara for a bit." She gave Kate's hand a squeeze. "I know you're scared of going back to work, but someone will sit with her when you can't. I promise you, she won't be alone."

"Thank you," Kate managed over the lump in her throat. She reached out to give Lindsay a hug.

"Thanks, Linds," Flack mouthed to her over Kate's shoulder. She sent him a wink in return.

"Get gone," she ordered. "I'll call you in an hour."

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"Welcome back," Stella called as Kate came into the locker room. "How are you feeling? How's Tara?"

"I'm doing ok. No change at the hospital," Kate told her as she pulled put her bag in the locker and reached up to get her weapon from the upper shelf. The action made her shirt ride up, displaying the fading bruises on her side.

Stella's mouth tightened into a grim line. "Bruising's faded," she remarked. "How're the ribs?"

"Better. Not so painful now, but they hurt if I hit them off something." Kate turned to the mirror, pulling her long curls out from under her sweater and rolling them into a knot on top of her head.

"You look like a ballerina," Stella teased as they made their way towards Mac's office. Several of the lab techs called out greetings to Kate as she passed.

"How have things been here?" Kate asked, knocking on Mac's door and going inside.

"Ok," Stella told her. She took the seat opposite Mac's and waited for their assignments.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Mac said. "Welcome back, first." He smiled at Kate. "I wanted to brief you quickly on what happened."

Kate was twisting her hands together nervously. "Mac, I got cleared by Stevens to come back to work. I went to the counselling sessions like I'm supposed to." She didn't mention the nightmares that made her wake up screaming every night, or the way she couldn't sleep without a light on. "I'm ready to be here."

"Your sister is still in hospital," Mac interrupted her gently. "And at any minute she could wake up. So I'm telling you now that when she does, you are to go to her. Understood?"

"Thanks, Mac."

"You're welcome." He folded his hands together and sat back in his chair. "Stella and I have been fielding the calls from the press about Derek Ames and Sam Caulfield. Interest in this one has been high and widespread."

"I'm sorry," Kate said, bowing her head. "I'm so sorry that the Lab was called into question, Mac. I'll work overtime to make up for it, I promise."

"Derek was a qualified criminalist," Mac put in. "His cases are not being recalled. Neither are Sam Caulfield's. Sid assures us that he was an excellent assistant and his work is of the highest quality."

"What's going to happen to him?" Kate asked.

"He'll be tried for assaulting and aiding in the abduction of an officer," Mac stated calmly. "And he'll most likely be imprisoned."

Kate let out the breath she'd been holding. "He won't come back here, will he?"

"No," Mac answered firmly. "IAB ruled that Flack's shooting of Ames was warranted under the circumstances, so he won't be questioned about that."

"He didn't tell me that," Kate said quietly. "I didn't even think of IAB. Do I have to be questioned?"

"At some point over the next week, yes. But it's only following procedure. Nothing to worry about." Mac leaned forward again. "Kate, we take this seriously. You're an excellent CSI, and an integral member of this team. I want you to know that."

"Is there a but in here?" Kate joked nervously. "Because I feel like there's a but coming."

"No buts," Mac smiled. "I just wanted you to expect a press interest in you. So far they've been kept away from your apartment and the hospital by members of the 5-5, but they can't be everywhere."

Kate thought of the constant stream of officers and other Crime Lab personnel into the ICU over the past three weeks. "So that's what they were doing there."

"They care, Kate." Stella looked at her steadily. "It's what we do when one of our own gets into trouble. NYPD is like a large family."

"I'm beginning to see that," Kate said. "I want to thank you guys for being so understanding. I realise that I'm still the new girl here, but you've made me part of the family and I appreciate it."

"That's what we do," Stella repeated. "And you know that you deserve it."

"Ok, enough of that," Mac ordered, seeing Kate's eyes fill. "Stella, you and Hawkes head over to Central Park. Flack has a homicide down there that's in need of some crime scene technicians. Kate, I'm sending you and Danny to take Angell's floater over at the ferry dock."

"Floater," Kate said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Lovely."

"Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Watch out for the press. They've gotten wind that you're back today and they want a piece of you."

"Got it." Kate departed with a wave and headed off in search of Danny.

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"Welcome back," Angell greeted her with a nod and a smile as she and Danny joined her at the pier. "How are you?"

"Good," Kate answered the other woman, "What have you got there?" She gestured towards the divers bobbing up and down in the water below them.

"Body was found floating in the harbour about an hour ago by a woman walking her dog," Angell began. The breeze whipped her dark brown hair around her cheeks as she pointed towards a middle aged woman holding a yapping dog in her arms. "She tossed a ball for Mitzi to catch and the wind blew it into the water. When Mitzi barked at the waves, she came over to investigate and saw our victim."

"Mitzi?" Danny quirked a brow, amused. "Mitzi?"

"Shut up, Messer," Angell ordered with a laugh. "She's got no other family. Mitzi is all she has."

"Anyone report seeing someone dump a body in the water?" Kate asked, her eyes glued to the police divers carefully putting the body into a hoist and waving at the crane to pull it up.

"None so far," Angell told her, closing her notebook with a snap. "I've got uniforms out asking questions around, but until we id the body we've got nothing to go on."

"Salt water tends to eat at evidence," Kate frowned, looking on as the crane lowered the body to the ground. "We better get her to the morgue ASAP."  
She walked over to peer down at the body. "It's a kid," she called out to Danny. "Late teens, I'd say, and not wearing much other than this little black dress."

"Pretty girl," Danny commented as he began to snap pictures of the victim with his camera. "Any ID?"

Kate was checking the pockets of the dress. "Nothing," she replied. "Any sign of a bag with her?" she asked Angell, who shook her head.

"Not a hope in this place I'd say. It would have floated away in the tide."

"So, we've got a Jane Doe, teenager, no purse or ID, and floating in the harbour." Kate knelt down to peer at the body. "Bruising here," she told Danny, pointing to the girl's neck. "And on her wrists and ankles."

"Assault?" Danny suggested, looking at the marks. "Maybe she was assaulted."

An image of Tara flashed into Kate's head, lying still and pale in her hospital bed. She shook her head to clear it and resumed her careful search of the victim's clothing.

"What's that there?" Danny pointed to what looked like dirt on the victim's arm. "It's on her face too."

"It's like sand," Kate said, carefully swabbing the spot with a Q-tip and handing it to Danny, who put it in the box with the water sample he'd collected from one of the divers.

"It's glitter," Angell declared. "It's that glitter cream that kids are putting on now for parties and clubs. Makes them sparkle, my niece tells me. She's fifteen."

"Makes them sparkle," Kate asked, disgusted. "That what it sounds like?"

"Yep," Angell confirmed. "It's exactly what it sounds like."

"Damn." Danny blew out a breath. "That's just wrong."

"Red means you're in a relationship, amber means you're not sure."

"Green?" Kate looked up at her, wondering if it was what she thought it was.

"Go go go," Angell replied with a grimace. "Kids just don't know how to be safe anymore."

"I don't want to think about it," Kate said, pulling a face. "I just don't want to imagine it."

"You done?" Danny asked her. "We should get Jane Doe here back to Sid. He can determine COD for us there."

"I'm putting my money on that wound on her head," Angell told them, pointing to a gash on the side of the girl's head. "Someone hit her hard."

Kate looked at the open wound, feeling sick. "Poor kid." She turned and signalled to the waiting Coroner. "You can take her now. We're good."

"You ok?" Danny asked as they made their way back to the Jeep and turned in the direction of the Lab.

"I'm good," Kate told him, pulling out her cell and dialling Lindsay. "Hey, Linds, How's she doing?" She listened intently for a moment before thanking Lindsay and hanging up.

"Any change?"

"None," she answered as Danny pulled into the traffic and turned on the blue lights. "I'll call again later."

"Montana will call if she wants you," Danny said, frowning as a cabbie tried to cut across the traffic in front of him. "She's good that way."

"You guys have been great," Kate said, scowling at a man who shook his fist at them from his car. She smiled sweetly and flashed her badge, enjoying his chastised look as he slunk back into his seat. "You'd thing the lights would've given us away."

"Some people are just plain dumb," Danny declared. "You and Flack seem pretty close."

"He's been good to me," Kate said, shooting him a sidelong glare. "And you're fishing, Messer. I hate fishing."

"I was just saying," Danny protested. "I've known Flack a long time. He's pretty sweet on you."

"Sweet on me?" Kate mocked, even though her insides did a quick dance. "That's very modern of you, Daniel."

"I don't want him to be hurt," Danny said, turning serious as he pulled the Jeep into the underground car park and turned off the engine. "He's a good guy. And you're great. You two are good together. I just don't want him hurt."

"I won't hurt him," Kate said defensively. "Not on purpose, anyway."

"I've had this chat with him already," Danny told her as they grabbed their kits and went up to the lab. "I told him that you were a good girl and that he should be nice to you."

"I bet he loved that," Kate remarked.

"He threatened to break my nose so I couldn't poke it where it wasn't wanted."

Kate burst out laughing at Danny's injured expression. "Poor Messer. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"Didn't mean what?" Flack asked, coming out of Stella's office with a file in his hands. He smiled at Kate, who blushed and smiled back before ducking into the Trace Lab. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing," Danny said, hastily taking a step backwards. "You get that DB in Central Park?"  
"Yep," Flack confirmed, waving the file at him. "Cut and dried, my friend. Cut and dried."

"Whatever. Go talk to your girl and put a smile on her face." Danny shoved him towards the Trace Lab.

Flack poked his head around the door and made a beeline for Kate, slapping Adam on the shoulder as he did. "Hey, Ross. Kate, you got a second?"

"What's up?" Kate faced him and ordered herself to be professional, no matter how good he looked in that dark grey suit and cream shirt.

"A second date," Flack told her, enjoying the way her face turned as red as her hair. "Stop blushing, Irish. You've slept in my bed for the last week solid."

"Shut up!" Kate hissed, throwing a glance over her shoulder at Adam, who was pretending not to listen. "That's not the point."

"I know you've got a lot on," Flack said, stepping closer to her. "But I think that you could do with some fun. We could take in a movie and get pizza afterwards."

"Maybe," Kate said vaguely. "When Tara wakes up, we can…"

"Let's say Thursday." Flack cut in smoothly. "Just two hours. Then you'll feel better. What time are you off at?"

"Flack, I can't right now," Kate told him. "I'll just worry about Tara, and I spend time away from her at work and-"

"Ok, ok," Flack interrupted, running a hand over her arm. "We'll let it go for now. But Kate, we will have that second date." He grinned, dimples flashing. "That's a promise."

Kate nodded and squeaked as he leaned down and kissed the breath out of her. "Just in case people don't know we're dating," he said with a smirk.

"Well." Kate managed when she got her breath back. "He sure told me what's what!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Our victim is seventeen year old Melissa Kirk," Angell announced, walking into the break room where Kate was talking to Lindsay on her cell. "Sorry." She waited until Kate hung up. "She is the only daughter of James and Della Kirk, of Kirk Antiques."

"Big name," Kate mused. "Where was she supposed to be while she was being thrown in the river?"  
"At her friend's house for a sleepover," Angell answered. She shook her head. "Parents didn't know she was at a party. They're on their way in to id the body."

"Is autopsy back already?" Kate looked at her watch, surprised to see that it was three pm.

"Sid works fast," Angell quipped. "And thank God for it. Sinclair is keeping a personal eye on this one."

"Great," Kate muttered. "The ordinary person attacked doesn't even warrant a mention but the heir to Kirk Antiques does." She stopped when she noticed Angell gaping at her. "Sorry. Ignore me."

"You want to talk to them?" Angell asked her. "They'll be here soon. "

"Sure," Kate shrugged. "Why not. I'm not off until six anyway."

She followed Angell out of the lab and across the road to the 5-5 to the little interrogation room near the bullpen. A man and woman were sitting in the room, holding hands. The woman, an attractive brunette whom Kate judged to be in her forties, leant on her husband's shoulder, sobbing quietly. He was about the same age, and had the air of a powerful man used to getting his own way.

"So that's James A Kirk," Kate remarked, looking at them through the observation mirror. "The antiques mogul and model of society."

"The one and only," Angell agreed. "Shall we?"

Forty five minutes later, Kate was seething as she walked out of the room. "The nerve of him," she raged at Angell, who didn't look to happy herself. "Implying that women can't do the job."

"I'm used to it," Angell said with a shrug that belied the angry gleam in her eye.

"I'm going to tell myself he's grieving," Kate declared. "That way I won't think the worst of a man who just lost his daughter."

"What do you think of the mother?" Angell asked as they went to her desk. Davis wandered over to hand them a wad of paper from his enquiries on the murder. "Thanks, Davis."

"How's Tara," he asked after nodding at Angell. "She up to visitors?"

"She's still the same," Kate told him. "The nurses are being great about ignoring all the cops and nurses wandering in and out of her room. And all the guys here have stopped by, even if it's only for a few minutes while they're in the ER with somebody."

"It's what we do," Davis said simply. "I'll stop by when we're there next time."

"Thanks, Ty," Kate said with a smile for the tall officer. "Dee should be there later anyway. Maybe a new voice will make her open her eyes."

"If it does you'll be the first to know," Davis promised her, his dark brown eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiled. Kate privately thought that Davis was a real hottie, something she'd said to Tara one day when her sister had dropped by the lab and had to go across the street to the house to where Kate had been in interrogation. Her sister had laughed and told her that Gary was more than enough for her.

"Who are you flogging in that head of yours?" Angell asked, noticing Kate's eyes darken and her face twist into a dark scowl.

"Some ass my sister dated," Kate replied, dropping into the chair across from Angell and watching in fascination as Flack hauled a suspect across the floor and tossed him unceremoniously into a waiting holding cell. The man swore a blue streak at him as he locked the doors and strode away, ordering Bosco to do the paperwork and get it ready for signing.

"Like what you see?" Angell teased her with a smile.

Kate blushed. "So what if I do?"

"Hey." Angell held up a hand. "No skin off my nose. Flack's a good guy. You're good together."

"People keep saying that," Kate shot back. "We're not together as such. We've had one date. One date!"

Angell rolled her eyes. "Please. You guys are like revving engines around each other."

Kate choked on the water she was sipping. "Revving engines? Really?"

"Vroom vroom," Angell said, laughing and handing her a tissue. "Clean yourself up, for God's sake. Now, back to the case. I'll read over this stuff and you can go to the morgue and get the Autopsy report from Hammerback." She shuddered. "I hate the damn morgue."

"Not a huge fan of it myself," Kate muttered, obediently getting up and heading through the bullpen towards the doors.

"Hey, sweetheart, you're a cop. Care to let me out of here?"

"Shut up, Kenny," Flack growled, appearing out of nowhere and glowering at the man, who immediately backed down and shut up. "Hi."

"Hi," Kate said with a smile. "Looks like you're in for a fun afternoon."

Flack rolled his eyes at her, making her laugh. "Drama queen."

"Hey," he protested, looking injured. "I have an extremely demanding job and I-"

Kate stood on her toes and pressed a kiss firmly on his lips. "Shut up."

"Shutting up. Shutting right up."

"Good." She kissed him again. Angell was right, she thought. Revving engines about described it. She sauntered out of the precinct to the sound of whistles and catcalls from the other detectives and the laughter of Angell.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So I kissed him," she told Tara, who remained oblivious to the world around her. "In front of everyone." She smoothed the hair back from Tara's face and sighed. "I wish you'd wake up, T. I miss you."

A knock sounded on the door and she looked up to see Flack enter with a pizza box in one hand and a laptop in the other. "Hey." She smiled in spite of herself. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking you on a date," he replied, putting the pizza on the bed and the laptop on the nightstand beside him, knocking over the photograph Dee had put there. "Sorry. What?"

"You're a closet romantic," Kate accused, pointing at him. "Why else would you do the sweetest thing ever?"

Flack shrugged, embarrassed. "Because maybe I think you're worth it. And you keep banging on about this second date, so I though what the hell."

"You brought a movie!" Kate gestured towards the laptop, delighted when he blushed. "You brought pizza and a movie."

"Guilty," he admitted. "I had to bring one to the nurses as a bribe." He took her hands in his and squeezed tight. "You can't leave her, so I brought the date to you."

"Thank you," Kate said, blinking at tears in her eyes. "Dammit, I keep on tearing up." She wiped at her eyes, furious with herself. "What am I, weak?"

"Never, "Flack assured her, plugging in the laptop and pressing some buttons. "We're going to be watching Indiana Jones," he told her as he sat down on the visitors' chair and pulled her onto his lap.

"There's another chair," Kate pointed out, leaning against him contentedly.

"You want it?" he teased, playing with the ends of her hair.

"No. I'm good here." She closed her eyes as he rubbed her back in slow circles. "That's nice."

"Room."

The whisper was so faint that Kate wasn't sure she'd heard it. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Flack told her, puzzled.

Their eyes met and in unison, they turned towards Tara. Kate hopped off Flack's knee and bent to her sister's side. "Tara? Can you hear me?"

"Room." The whisper came again as Tara stirred slightly.

"Get a doctor!" Kate cried as Flack ran towards the door. "Tara? Can you squeeze my hand?" She touched her sister's face, searching for any sign that she was conscious and thanked God that they had removed the tube into her lungs a week ago. "Tara?"

"She just said something," Flack was telling the nurse who came running into the room. "She said room."

Kate looked on, terrified as a doctor came skidding to a halt in Tara's room and began to examine her carefully. "Tara, say something else, please."

"Ssh," Flack soothed as she tried to move back towards her sister's bed again. "Let them work, baby."

"Tara, did you say something to Kate?" Doctor Browne asked, shining a light in her eyes. "Can you say it again?"

"Get. Room." Tara croaked, before opening her eyes painfully. She looked at Kate and closed her eyes again, sighing deeply.

"Tara? Tara?" Kate turned to Doctor Browne, panic written all over her face. "Doctor? Is she…" She couldn't go on. Flack wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"No, she's not," Dr Browne confirmed after listening to her chest. "She's just sleeping. She's coming around, Kate."

Kate threw her arms around the man before bursting into tears and burying her face in Flack's chest. "Thank God," was all she could say, over and over again. "Thank God."

**So she's awake. At last I hear you say! I haven't started the next one yet, so if you have anything you want to tell me, now's your chance! **


	23. Sleeping on the Couch?

**Wow. I got a great response to the last chapter. So much so that I've decided to post another one ASAP! You can all probably tell that I suck at the crime scene part of things, so if there are holes in that aspect of my writing please let me know. I should add that I don't own anything you recognise, any of the CSI characters that we love on the TV, any of the Third Watch characters either! The list is long. I only use them to add to my stories! **

**Hope4sall: If you walk into a room in my house where my sisters are talking at ninety miles an hour, that's what you'll hear. "And then I said…and he did…and it was…."! It's funny to listen to us sometimes. Poor Dad though. He must go mad!**

**Katydid13: I think that pizza and a movie was cute. He'll get that date, don't worry. Any thoughts on what it could be? **

**Backstagespotlight: I know that in real life coma patients don't wake up and talk, but it was fun to write. And I'm allowed a little artistic licence aren't I??**

**Forest Angel: Kate might just get an easier time of it for a while. I think its Tara's turn to be stressed out and suffering! I only thought of the cases being compromised when a friend pointed it out to me. Glad you liked it!**

**Mrs Ioan G: Wait and see is all I can tell you. I'm evil that way lol.**

**Madison B: I really like Angell, but she can be difficult to write. Some people do a great job, but I personally can't get into her head enough to write her as a main character. Don't know why that is! She'll be around a lot though, I think she's great! **

**Xomgitlexie: That part about the engines was something I read somewhere (can't remember where) and I loved it so I modified it and stuck it in there. Wow you got through all 21 chaps-I'm honoured! Thanks so much for that, it's my first ever fic and I was terrified people wouldn't like it! I'll be watching out for your fic too, looking forward to reading it. **

**Cherryspark101: That's exactly what she was telling them. It's what my sister would do. Tara is more or less based on the best parts of all three of them. They're great for inspiration! **

**Bmangaka: I laughed when I was writing it. Tara is great fun to write I love her! **

**Marialisa: Welcome back, I see you've been busy with your own work. Read "Falling" and loved it. And also am enjoying "Not a Red Rose…" too. You've got talent!**

**BEG75: You are allowed to take as long as you want you're a Mammy and that's the big job in your life. You know I love to hear from you when you have time. Yay on the five days of freedom for Flack dreams (wow alliteration at its best there!) I bet you'll miss him though! I must have been really good to deserve cookies and ice-cream together. Nice! **

**Hockeymom: Typical of my sisters anyway. They'd mortify you without blinking! Glad you liked it!**

**Dol: Welcome back, glad you enjoyed the hols; I'd say they were much needed. I am evil when it comes to cliffies, I'm told. You did well to get through all 5 chaps fair play to you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hope I don't disappoint in the next 5!**

**Laplangurl: She will certainly perk up a little now that her twin is awake, that's for sure. Tara will have a little work to do though. I must find her a nice man to help her after that other rat!! **

**Chapter 23. What's Normal? **

Kate wrung her hands together anxiously as she paced the floor outside her sister's room. Doctor Browne had kicked them all out while he did a full examination on Tara. The hands on the clock over the nurse's station seemed to be frozen as she alternated between pacing and looking up at them to see if they'd moved.

From his position in the chair nearest the door, Flack watched her, his eyes darting from side to side as they followed her small frame up and down. Finally, he gave up and watched the door.

"Kate!" Dee burst into the room, hair tousled and eyes bleary. She'd been on nights yet again the night before and was exhausted looking. Kate had called to leave her a message. "Kate? What happened?"

"She's awake," Kate paused in her stride to grip Dee's hands in hers and swing her friend around in a circle. "She's awake!"

"When? What happened? Were you there? Did she open her eyes? Talk? What are her obs like? Never mind." Dee paused midstream and marched to the door of Tara's room. "I'll find out myself." She disappeared into the room.

"Kate, sit down," Flack said patiently as she resumed her pacing. "You're making me seasick."

"Cant." She was biting at her lower lip in agitation. "What if I dreamed it? What if she wasn't sleeping, but back in the coma again?"

"That would be like something out of Sunset Beach," Flack told her, rolling his eyes.

Kate stopped, staring at him in amazement. "You watched Sunset Beach?" Her lips quivered as she tried not to laugh. "Oh Don, that's so…so…"

"Shut up," he ordered, turning bright red. "I was laid up for months after the bombing. I had no alternative but to watch daytime television."

Kate began to giggle helplessly at the idea of one of the 5-5's toughest Homicide detectives watching daytime soap operas and Oprah.

"Stop it," Flack insisted, laughing at her as she slumped into the chair beside him and clutched her sides. "It's not that funny!"

"Sunset Beach?" she wheezed. "That's pretty funny!" She struggled to regain control of herself. "Ok, ok. Sorry. I'm good. What were you saying?"

"You mean before you laughed at me? When words deserted you?"

"Yes," she told him seriously. "Right before words deserted me. When I was trying to think of an alternative to girly."

He glared at her. "I was going to say that Tara is awake. We were both there. I believe she told us to get a room."

It was Kate's turn to go red as she lowered her eyes. "Typical of Tara to hear everything and remember it."

"Not the worst idea she's had," Flack commented. "You could do with some time out."

"Looking to distract me, Detective?" Kate teased.

"No," he replied. "Looking to make you smile again. You haven't done much of that in the last few weeks."

"So you want to lock me in a room somewhere?"

Our second date got interrupted," Flack reminded her. "I'm not taking any chances on the next one. Not that I'm sorry Tara interrupted it," he added hastily when Kate's head shot up. "I'm thinking that maybe we can get the nurses to reheat that pizza and share it with her."

Kate grinned at the thought of her sister eating pizza not an hour after waking up from a three week coma. Her smile disappeared as Dr Browne came out of Tara's room. She got to her feet immediately, seeing Flack do the same. His hands went to her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"Doctor?"

Dr Browne smiled at her. "Good news, Miss Kennedy. Tara is doing well. She's definitely over the worst of it and I see no reason why she shouldn't make a full recovery." He grunted in surprise as Kate threw her arms around him, then smiled." I'm glad to see you smiling."

"What can I expect from her?" Kate asked him, green eyes sombre. "I mean in the line of side effects and all that stuff."

"Tara can't remember the details of what happened to her," Dr Browne said seriously. "That's not uncommon in trauma like this. The brain blocks out the details until its strong enough to deal with the after effects."

"Her trauma kit was negative for sexual assault," Kate told him. "Will that help?"

"Immensely," Dr Browne assured her. "But she was attacked in the hospital grounds. She suffered a severe blow to the head and that will have some side effects."

"Like mine?" Kate asked, suddenly fearful.

"Similar," agreed the doctor. "Nightmares are possible, so is the possibility of some post traumatic stress disorder. Her immediate side effects will be the most obvious."

"What are those likely to be?"

"Headaches, double vision for a few days, some nausea and she's likely to sleep for hours at a time. Don't be alarmed at this. Mood swings will probably be apparent too." He reached out to clasp Kate's hand. "These are all normal after effects of coma patients, Kate. They're not long term and will wear off. All you need to know now is that Tara will be ok. You can see her now, if you like."

"Thank you." Kate grasped the man's hand fervently. "Thank you so much." Turning to Flack, she threw her arms around him. "I've got to call my parents and tell them. They didn't come out because I told them not to. Now they'll definitely pay a visit!"

She pushed open the door and peered inside to where her sister was raised slightly in the bed. Her eyes were closed and her hand was resting in Dee's. The lump in Kate's throat increased as she approached the bed hesitantly.

Tara's eyes opened and focused on her sister. "Hey," she whispered, her lips curving into a smile.

"Hey yourself," Kate whispered back, taking the spot Dee had vacated at Tara's side. She stared at her sister's face, eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't cry," Tara said weakly. "I'll cry if you do and then – "

"Mom will blame you!" Kate finished for her, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I've missed you, T." She laid her head down beside Tara's arm and wept silently, relief pouring out of her in the only way she knew how.

Tara reached her other arm over to stroke her twin's hair gently. "It's ok," she whispered. "I'm ok now."

Flack and Dee watched from the end of the bed as Tara fell asleep again, Kate's hand still clutched in hers.

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"Heard your sister is awake," Danny said to Kate as she threw down the file she had been updating with a venomous glare. "What's bitten you?"

"That substance found on our victim," Kate growled. "It's glitter."

"Angell told us that," Danny informed her. "I distinctly remember Angell telling us that."

"Ha ha," Kate said, voice sour. "I mean its glitter. And it's widely available. IN every gift shop, newsagent, stationery store and school supply shop in the city."

"Oh," Danny said slowly, catching on. "Crap."

"Crap about covers it," Kate shot back. "So we have no trace except clumps of glitter all over her body. She had sex with an unknown donor who isn't in CODIS. No prints that we can use because the damn sea water has washed them away. So I have one dead teenager from a high society family and no leads." She took a deep breath, her rant over.

"Wow," Adam said, his eyes wide. "She's pretty scary."

"I'll say," Danny remarked. "You should meet her sister!"

"Shut up, Messer," Kate ordered, giving him a venomous glare. "Or I'll break your nose."

Danny backed up hastily. "Ok, ok. I just wanted to tell you that we got the security tapes from the club she was at. It's called Black Velvet." Hi expression indicated what he thought of the name." I'm going to interview the security guys and the owner. You," he handed her the box of tapes with a flourish, "are on video footage detail!"

"I hate this job," Kate groused, taking the tapes and heading for the AV lab.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey Irish," Flack greeted, poking his head in the door and waving a paper bag at her. "What you doing?"

Kate stretched and eyed the bag he had in his hand. "What's that? Can I eat it?"

Flack laughed at her eager face. "You're cheerful," he commented, handing her the bag and dropping into the seat across from her. "Good change?"

"How did you know I was here?" Kate frowned at him even as her eyes lit up at the sight of the giant chocolate chip cookie inside the bag. "Don, you're a legend!"

"I know," he agreed modestly. "You're very lucky to have me around."

She swiped at him before breaking the cookie in half and offering a piece to him. "You don't know what you're missing," she told him. "What are you doing here?"

Flack shrugged. "They told me you were here and I said I'd drop by. You know, see how you're doing being in here."

Kate looked at him, mouth full, eyes serious. Swallowing the piece of cookie in her mouth, she shrugged. "I'm ok. I talked to Tara a little while ago. She's had a stream of visitors in and out. Cops she doesn't even know have dropped by to see her."

"Quit changing the subject," Flack ordered. "I know it must be tough for you, being in here."

"I'm coping so far," Kate replied. "I had a moment or two in here, but nothing I couldn't handle. And besides, Danny and Hawkes have been great about not leaving me on my own."

"I should hope so," Flack retorted, bristling at the thought of her being alone. He gave himself a mental slap on the head. Overkill is so not good, Don, he told himself. "So, Tara's awake. Want me to take you over after you finish."

Kate eyeballed him. "Did you match your shifts to mine so that you could chauffeur me around?"

He suddenly became very interested in the tapes spread out along the table. "No. Maybe." He grinned at her. "Yes."

"Sweet," she teased him. "That's sweet. But I have a date tonight."

Flack did a double take. "You have a what?"

"A date," she answered, staring up at him with innocent green eyes. "You know, a social outing between male and female, usually comprising dinner and some form of entertainment before necking in the lobby of my apartment building."

Flack was sure his face was purple. "You have a date? With who?"

"Whom," she corrected with another smile. "And it's with someone you know, actually."

"Whom," Flack said through gritted teeth, "would this guy I know be?"

"I'll describe him," Kate told him. "Tall, about your height, actually. Lean, blue eyes, black hair." She began to laugh as the light went on in Flack's head. "Honestly, Don, you're so gullible."

"That was not funny," Flack countered, glaring at her. "I was ready to shoot my own colleague."

Kate grew serious. "I take it you don't want me to date anyone else, then?"

"Do you want me to shoot someone? Because I can if you want me to." Flack was towering over her now, irritated. "I don't know what this is between us. But I want to figure it out without adding anyone else to the mix. Ok?"

Kate looked up at him, feeling her belly tingle at his close proximity. She hadn't been able to think about anything but Tara for the past few weeks and now that her twin was out of the proverbial woods, she had been thinking about Flack. A lot more than she should. "Ok."

"Ok," he repeated. "So that's settled. Now, about this date. Where are you taking me?"

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"I think my brain is bleeding," Kate told Danny as he came into the AV lab three hours later. "Is it leaking out my ears?"

"Not that I can see," Danny said, pretending to examine her closely. He looked troubled.

"What's up?" Kate asked him, watching as he twisted his wedding ring around on his finger. "Something's the matter."

"I'm waiting for Angell and Stella," he informed her before twisting his ring around again.

"Quit it," Kate told him. "Your finger will fall off. And you'll tarnish your wedding ring." She smiled widely at him. "I bet Lindsay would hate it if you damaged your wedding ring."

Danny didn't smile. Kate surveyed him critically. "Danny? What's the matter?"

"Kids," Danny told her, sighing. "I swear, every time I think I've heard it all, they surprise me some more with some more crap."

"And this is coming from where?"

"I interviewed the security staff at the club," Danny began, waving at Stella and Angell to sit down as they came in and looked inquiringly at him. "I also got an appointment with the owner for tomorrow."

"What did the interviews show?" Stella asked him.  
"Melissa Kirk wasn't checked for ID," Angell told them, glancing at the notes she'd taken from the interview. "Apparently, she bribed security and wrangled her way into the VIP lounge."  
"We can see that from the tape," Kate added, pointing to the images of the teenager she'd frozen on screen. "So she was underage, not asked for ID, and tox showed that her blood alcohol level was way over the legal limit."

"That club is going down," Stella stated. "They won't be open for business anytime soon. Do we know who owns it?"

"Black velvet and that little boy's smile," Kate sang. She noticed the others looking at her and stopped. "Sorry."

"The owner is called Truman Kerr." Stella said. "The Third."

"Great," Kate sighed. "A mogul. They always think they're above the law. I hate that!"

"We need to see Mr Kerr," Angell stated. "According to reports, he's a friend of James Kirk." She left the statement hang for a minute.

"He's friends with Melissa's dad?" Kate asked, incredulous. "And he didn't call him to tell him that his seventeen year old daughter was out and drinking in his club?"

"That's not all," Danny said heavily. "Truman Kerr III has a reputation for getting involved with younger women."

"What do you mean, getting involved?" Kate demanded.

"What do you think I mean?" Danny scoffed. "He's been accused of molesting young girls before at his daughter's slumber party."

"Did his daughter know Melissa Kirk?" Stella asked Angell, who nodded.

"They went to different schools, but would have been thrown together by their parents at various parties and gatherings."

"We need to talk to him," Kate said, shaking her head. "This is all just a little too weird for my liking. Can we interview the daughter too?"

"Only with her father's permission," Stella said. "And he's not likely to give it. She's still a minor."

"We can get a judge to rule in our favour," Kate pointed out. She looked at her watch. "First thing in the morning, that is." She sighed. "Don't you envy the nine to fives of the world?"

"Not a bit," Stella laughed. "They don't know what they're missing!"

Kate got to her feet. "I have to go to the hospital. I'll be in early in the morning and we can get a head start on the Trace."

"If only it was like the movies," Stella said regretfully as they all filed out of the lab. "All solved neatly in a day."

"Then we'd be nine to fivers like the rest of them," Danny put in with a smile. "And life would be boring."

"Shut up, Danny," Kate and Stella chorused.

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"I bring gifts," Kate danced into her sister's room two hours later, brandishing a pizza box. Tara opened her eyes and smiled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you."

"No problem" her sister said cheerfully. "I'm feeling a lot more alive today, thank God." Her voice sounded weak still, but her eyes had regained some of their old sparkle. Dee had washed her hair carefully earlier on, not wanting to wet the nasty wound on her head. Now that it was combed back and she had her favourite pyjamas on, she looked more like her old self again.

"You look better," Kate pronounced, looking at her with a critical eye. "Of course, I'm still prettier, but you do look a lot better."

"Ha ha," her sister shot back, sticking out her tongue. "You want your eyes tested, little sister."

"That pizza better be extra large," Brian Cambelli declared, striding into the room and crossing to Tara's side. "Welcome back, TK. We missed you." His smile was wide as he leaned down to kiss her cheek gently. "How're you feeling?"

"Ok," Tara said cautiously. "I don't remember much of what happened after I got called into work, but I guess it'll come back to me."

Kate cast a glance at Brian, whose jaw tightened. "It will, T. "

Tara looked frustrated. "I wish I could remember. I keep getting flashes of nothing. Images of eyes looking at me." She gave a little laugh. "How weird is that?"

"Not weird," Kate said, suppressing the shiver that ran through her at the thought of cold, empty grey eyes. "Not at all."

Tara narrowed her eyes at her. "What aren't you telling me? And where did you get that scratch on your face?"

Kate's hand flew to her cheek and she rubbed at the faint pink line that ran along her jaw line. The doctors had told her that it would fade in another week or so and not leave a noticeable scar.

"I think that it's time for that pizza," Brian broke in, seeing Kate's face turn pale. "Flack will be here soon and I want to have his eaten by then."

"Don't change the subject!" Tara's voice was sharp and hard, unlike the weakened tone she'd had since she'd woken up. She closed her eyes briefly. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

"That's ok," Kate told her. "Don't worry about it." She was twisting her hands together nervously.

"What happened, Katie?" Tara begged. "Tell me. I can't remember how I got here."

"Doctor Browne says you have to take it easy and remember it in your own time," Brian cut in as Kate opened her mouth. He threw her a warning glare. "Remember, Kennedy?"

Kate nodded mutely and looked up as the door opened and Flack walked in. His sharp blue eyes took in the tension between the sisters and Brian's subtle nod. He immediately went to Kate's side and hoisted her out of the chair so he could sit down. Pulling her into his lap, he smiled at Tara. "Hi."

"Hi yourself, Detective," she answered with a smile at him. "How've you been?"

"Better than you," he shot back, laughing as Brian choked on his pizza.

"Flack!" Kate smacked him on the arm. "Cut it out!"

"What?" he protested, reaching out for a piece of pizza and biting into it with a sigh of bliss. "I have been better than her."

"You don't say that, my friend," Brian advised. "You tell her she looks great and that she'll be out of the hospital in no time."

"I do not look great," Tara retaliated. "I look like a mess. And I have this killer headache, no memory of how I got here and to boot, I have to stay in this room because when I get up, I get dizzy."

"You were out for three weeks," Flack informed her loftily. "As it is, you're doing well to be eating pizza."

"I think you're doing all the eating," Tara pointed out, yawning widely. "Sorry, guys. I spend most of my time sleeping right now."

"That's ok," Flack joked. "You're easier to handle when you're not talking!"

"Donald Flack," Kate scolded. "Leave her alone!" She got to her feet. "We'll head home. Dee is still here, so she'll drop in before she goes home."

"I'll wait for her," Brian volunteered. "Take her home." He grinned. "It's my chance to get her alone."

"I don't want to know," Kate declared, leaning in to kiss her sister's cheek. "My phone is on. Call if you want me. I can be here in fifteen minutes if I have to."

"I'll be ok," Tara said drowsily, closing her eyes. She was asleep before they had left the room.

"Do you think we're wise to keep the attack from her?" Kate asked worriedly as she and Flack strolled outside the grounds to the line of waiting cabs. "She's suspicious as it is."

"She needs to be stronger before she hears that," Flack said gently, stopping to look down at her. "Kate, you and I both know what that kind of trauma can do." He skimmed a finger along the faint scar on her cheek. "The worst is yet to come for her. We both know that too."

"I don't want that for her," Kate fretted, remembering the nights she had woken up screaming, sure she was about to die in the dark. "I don't want her to go through that."

"It's the only way she'll deal with it," Flack said sensibly. "You know that too."

Sighing, Kate leaned into him. "I know. But I don't have to like it."

"Come on," Flack took her hand, leading her towards the cab. "Let's get you home."

"Wait." Kate stopped again, tugging on his hand to make him stop. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers, kissing him softly, He wrapped both arms around her, lifting her off her feet so that she was level with him. Kate wound her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, not caring that they were in a public car park.

"What was that for?" He asked when he finally came up for air.

"For being there," she murmured, not loosening her hold on him. "Because you could have cut and run and you didn't."

"Why would I do that?" Flack asked, surprised. He set her on her feet again and chuckled at her disgruntled face. "You're short. Live with it."

"It's a pain in the ass," Kate shot back, "when you're dating a guy who's half a giant and you have to stand on a stepladder to kiss him."

"We manage just fine," Flack laughed. "So far anyway." He bundled her into the back of the cab and called out the address to the driver.

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Kate found herself telling Flack about her case as he followed her into her apartment. He went in to make some coffee while she headed to her bedroom to change. She emerged a few minutes later to find him thrown across her couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. He had taken off his tie and loosened the top buttons on his shirt. His dark hair was messy from running his hands through it.

Kate had a sudden urge to run her own hands through it. The thought made her take two full steps backward. _Get a_ _grip, Kate,_ she ordered herself. _Don't turn into a ball of lust just because he's a hot guy. Have some control, dammit._

Flack looked up at her, wondering what on earth she was thinking. She had put on a pair of navy sweats and a t-shirt he recognised as his own. He wondered how one small woman could look so absurdly sexy in a t-shirt that practically hung off one shoulder and a pair of baggy sweats. Her hair hung down her back and framed her small face, making her look young and fragile.

He moved up so that she could slip in beside him and curl up next to him. Her cell beeped and she scrambled over him to get it. "Dee is staying at Brian's place tonight," she informed Flack.  
"I'll take the couch," he immediately said. "You're not staying here alone." He cut her off by clapping a hand to her mouth, laughing as she wriggled and tried to bite at his hand. "Easy!" as her teeth made contact with skin and he hissed in pain.

She giggled at him, and then froze as she realized that he was looming over her, blue eyes sizzling. "Sorry?" she offered, before he began to tickle her. "Stop! No! Mercy! Uncle!" Her shrieks of laughter echoed through the apartment as his fingers dug into her sides. He hit a sore spot and she cried out in pain.

"Kate?" He sat up, paling a little as she pressed a hand to her side and grimaced. "Damn, Kate. I'm so sorry."

She smiled at him. "It's ok. They're almost totally healed really. Still some bruises. Doctor said it would take about three weeks to go away, but it hasn't so far."

His jaw tightened. "How bad is it?"

Green eyes met blue as she lifted the hem of the t-shirt and pulled it upwards to reveal the fading bruises on her sides. They were already turning yellow except for the middle of them. He reached a hand out to touch the marks gently, and then pressed his lips to the spot. She hissed in a breath as he came into contact with her skin, feeling the tingles shoot straight to her belly.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I should have stayed with you."

"He's gone," Kate said, not moving as his hand continued to trace the bruises. She couldn't have moved if her life depended on it. "And we're not."

Flack leaned in to kiss her, his hands tracing around her ribcage to her back as she dropped the hem of the t-shirt and pressed against him, returning the kiss.

"Don?" She sighed as his lips travelled along her collarbone and up her neck.

"Yes?"

"You're so not sleeping on the couch tonight."

**Hope you liked it! Sorry I took so long. I've been working a little on a new one I'm doing. It'll be winging your way at some stage in the next two weeks. Please review as usual and let me know how I'm doing! **


	24. AllThat Glitters

**Hi folks, hope ye're all keeping well. I'm on a roll with this one now and am looking for some advice on where to find 'cop talk', and if anyone knows the difference between a felony and a misdemeanour please let me know what it is! **

**Dol: Are you talking about Kate and Flack? (",)**

**Hockeymom: A monk he ain't anyway! And let's face it, who could resist his eyes! **

**BEG75: They say you never know how much you need your Mom until something happens and it's so true. You are great! And the cookies and icecream are always welcome. **

**Kerber1920: Nice to hear from you, no worries about the reviewing, I'm just glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for the praise. **

**Mrs I G: Wow, you're really getting into this aren't you! There will be no babies for Kate and Flack for quite some time. I haven't thought that far ahead. But it's an idea for later! **

**Katydid13: They've had a few second dates so far, but I'm beginning to like simple. Simple is always good. **

**EmSyd: Nice to meet you. Thanks for dropping in and for adding me to your favourites.**

**Numba1csilover: Nice to meet you too! I try and update as often as possible, but it's not easy with work and life gets in my way sometimes. But thank you. I love to hear from people who read my story. **

**Hope4sall: Would you leave him on the couch? I wouldn't either! I'd have jumped him ages ago!**

**Bmangaka: He can be at times on the show too. He makes me laugh when I'm watching him it's the expressions I love those eyebrow wiggles and that smile. Does it every time. **

**Dangermouse00: About time for them to heat up, I was starting to get frustrated myself!! Only thing is, I'd be a little apprehensive at the thought of the morning after!**

**Madison B: Would you leave him on the couch? Cos I sure as all hell wouldn't! Glad you liked it though. As always, I have more up my sleeve it's a wide sleeve!**

**Axellia: Welcome back, I've been reading What the Eyes Can't See again. Taylor is the greatest! Thanks for dropping in, I know time isn't always on your side. Hope you find time to log in soon. **

**Chapter 24. All that Glitters**

Kate woke up with a start, wondering who on earth was snoring beside her. It took her a moment to remember the night before. She smiled and stretched, the motion making her hair tickle Flack's nose. He wrinkled it in his sleep and sighed softly before tightening his arm around her.

"Don?" She whispered his name softly, wriggling slightly so she could look at his face. He didn't stir. "Don?"

He looked like a little boy when he was sleeping, Kate thought. The tension left his face and he looked almost peaceful. She traced her fingers along his jaw, the faint stubble scratching slightly. She touched her other hand to her face, wondering if she had beard burn. The small smile on her lips grew as she recalled the other places she might have said beard burn. Immediately shaking her head at the path her thoughts had taken, she gently manoeuvred herself out from under his arm and pulled on her bathrobe.

She paused at the door and turned around to look at him, wondering if that awkward morning after feeling would sweep her when he woke up. Should she wait for him to wake up and then talk to him? Or give in to that little urge to play alarm clock and just jump him again. _Control yourself, Kate. One night with him doesn't mean you're married. _

Flack sighed again and flung his arm over his head, revealing the faint scar over his heart. She knew that he'd been in the bombing a few years before; that he'd been almost killed and that the pale patch of skin would never really fade. Not, she thought with a grin, that she minded looking at his chest.

Don Flack Junior had quite a body. Ok. It was definitely time to get out of that room.

Clapping her hand to her mouth, she made her way to the kitchen. She pottered around, putting on the coffee pot, popping bread in the toaster, cracking eggs in a bowl. She was humming to herself as she did, so she didn't notice Flack come into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

He watched as she did a little dance along the countertops and dropped the eggs in the pan. Her hair was bundled up on top of her head and he had an urge to kiss the nape of her neck. Giving in to it, he crossed the kitchen and grabbed her around the waist. She shrieked as he swung her around so he could kiss her good morning.

"Good morning," she murmured when he set her on her feet again. "Want some breakfast?"

"When have you ever known me to not want food?" Flack demanded as he reached out and grabbed a piece of toast as it popped up from the toaster.

She laughed at him. "True. Does anything put you off food?"

"Not unless I get a better offer," he quipped, grinning when she blushed.

"No time this morning, Detective," she retorted primly. "I have to get to the hospital before work."

Flack did his best to look injured. "What time are you on at?"

"Don, you don't have to match your shifts to mine anymore," Kate said, regarding him sternly. "People will start to talk."

"Kate, I hate to break this to you, but people know we're dating."

"We've had one date and a handful of interrupted second dates," Kate protested. "That doesn't constitute dating."

Flack eyeballed her. "Last night puts us well into the ring for dating, Kennedy."

She blushed hotly. "That is so not the point, Flack." She passed him over some more toast. "Last night was great. It was really great."

"Are you going to tell me it was a mistake?" Flack asked in disbelief. "Because I'm telling you now, it wasn't a mistake for me."

"God no," Kate answered, sounding horrified. "It definitely wasn't a mistake." She looked at him seriously. "Don, I don't usually do this. I'm usually cautious to the point of being obsessive. I don't usually rush into things with guys."

"We've known each other for months," Flack pointed out, wondering where she was going with this.

Kate was speaking rapidly. "I take things slower than this. Tara's the one who rushes into things. Not that she's a harlot or anything, but she doesn't always think. You made me not think."

Flack looked at her warily. He'd never seen this nervous side of her, and he had to admit that it was kind of cute. "Kate, is it a bad thing that you didn't think for once?"

"No. No, not bad. Just unusual. Which leads me right to the problem."

"And that is?" He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her to continue.

"You made me not think." She stopped pacing. "Don, this thing between us. It's been crazy since I joined the Lab. I mean crazy. I got kidnapped, Tara got attacked, Dee met a firefighter, I got stalked…It's been insane."

"So you're saying that whatever this is, it's based on adrenaline?" Flack sounded disgusted. "Kate, I'm a cop. So are you. We face things like that every day. And worse, sometimes. Adrenaline keeps us alive. I didn't stay here last night with you because it was a natural high." He grinned at her. "Although I have to say, it was pretty close to it."

"Stop it!" But she was smiling. "You're getting away from the point."

"You matter, Kate." He was serious now. "I didn't expect you to matter. But you do. And like I told you already, I want to see where this goes. That's the point."

"Really?" She whispered the word so softly he had to strain to catch it.

"Really." He leaned over and planted a kiss on her lips. "Now, I have to get changed for work. I'll drop you off on my way."

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"Hey," Stella greeted her as she entered the lab. "How's Tara doing?"

"She's feeling a little stronger," Kate told her. "But she can't really remember all of what happened. She has only flashes. I don't think she's sleeping very well. But the doctors say she should be ok to come home next week sometime."

"That's great!" Stella exclaimed. "You must be really excited."

"I can't wait to have her home," Kate admitted with a smile. "The apartment is lonely without her."

"Kate!" Danny came towards her. "We're heading to interview Truman Kerr. We got a court order to interview the daughter and get a DNA sample from both of them."

"He won't like that," Kate said as she followed him down the corridor. "I can guarantee he won't like that."

She was quite right. Truman Kerr was extremely unhappy about having to give a sample of his DNA. So unhappy, in fact, that he called his lawyer and demanded that he come over to the house immediately before he would even allow Danny and Kate to enter his home.

"Well," Kate commented, looking around at the lobby of the plush apartment building. "This is nice, isn't it?"

"Fantastic," Danny replied in disgust. "We have a warrant for his DNA, Kate. That means that we get to call the shots."

"His lawyer won't be able to prevent us getting it," Kate pointed out. "What's a few minutes going to do? It's not like he can go anywhere." Her eyes flickered to a harassed looking man in a rumpled suit hurrying towards the elevators. "How much do you bet that's the lawyer?"

"I don't gamble," Danny replied with a grin. "Let's go."

"I'm sorry, Mr Kerr," the man was saying as they approached the penthouse again. "This is a legal piece of paper. You have to give them what they want. So does Alicia. "

"You're fired," Truman Kerr informed him. "I'll mail your check to you."

"Hello again, Mr Kerr, "Kate said pleasantly. "I'm Detective Kennedy, this is Detective Messer. We're with the New York Crime Lab, if you recall."

"Is Alicia home?" Danny asked, peering around the other man into the apartment.

"Daddy?" A sleepy looking girl came to the door, her black hair rumpled, brown eyes red rimmed and bleary. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, sweetheart," he answered. "Go back inside."

"Alicia Kerr?" Kate asked.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Detectives Kennedy and Messer, New York Crime Lab," Kate answered, flashing her badge. "We're here to ask you some questions, Miss Kerr, if you don't mind."

"It's about Melissa, isn't it?" Alicia asked hesitantly.

"Get dressed, Alicia," her father ordered. He turned to face Kate, who tipped her head upwards to look at him. "I presume you can wait until my daughter is dressed before you harass her?"

"Certainly," Kate answered, her voice coldly polite. "It'll give us sufficient time to ask you some questions and get your DNA sample."

"Why would you want my DNA?" Kerr asked. "Am I a suspect?"

"A teenager was murdered after leaving your club, "Danny said coldly. "The daughter of a friend of yours, I might add. That sound suspicious to you at all?"

"I saw Mel," Kerr began. "She was a little drunk, but no more than she usually is."

"Security cameras show her in the club until about one thirty," Kate told him. "Didn't you feel that you should call James Kirk and tell him where his daughter was on a school night?"

Kerr looked ashamed. "It's what teenagers do," he said half-heartedly. "I didn't want to be the uncool dad and send her home."

"Uncool might have saved her life," Kate shot back. "She was seen leaving your club with you and one of your security guards. "Where did you leave her?"

"She didn't come with me," Kerr said, panic written all over his face. "I came home in my car and she headed to get a cab. Ask my driver."

"We'll be doing that," Danny stated flatly. "I think it's time we talked to Alicia."

"Allie," the girl corrected as she came into the room and plopped into a chair opposite Kate. "It's Allie."

"Ok, Allie," Kate began. "When was the last time you saw Melissa?"

"Right before I left the club," Allie answered, twisting her hands together. "She said she was staying, so I came home. I wanted to be home before Daddy."

"Your father knew you were out, right?" Kate asked. "He saw you in the club."

"I've grown up around that place," Allie informed them. "When it was a restaurant I used to play in the kitchens at night."

"If you and Melissa were friends," Danny began, "then why did she have to bribe security to let her in?"

"Melissa liked using her looks to get around guys," Allie said disdainfully. "We had a bet on that she couldn't get into the club."

"What was the prize?" Danny asked her.

"Winning," Allie said with a shrug. "Winning is important. Right Daddy?"

"That's right, sweetheart," Kerr answered as he came into the room again. "Are you finished?"

"For now," Kate said, getting to her feet. "We'll just take those samples for elimination purposes and be on our way."

"Why do you need our DNA?" Allie asked uncertainly. "We'll be on her, you know. We got up close and personal on the dance floor. I've seen the cop shows on the tv. It's called transfer or something."

"Clever," Kate conceded. "But don't worry. We'll be able to tell what's transferred and what's not."

She made short work of the DNA testing, swabbing their cheeks and putting the boxes in her kit. "Thanks for your help," she said with another smile. "We'll be in touch if we need you."

"Winning is important," Danny scoffed once they were out of earshot. "She's seventeen. She should be still wearing pigtails and knee socks! Not sleeping with men old enough to be her father."

"Something's not right, "Kate mused, "Allie's talking about Melissa, but she's not sincere. There's more to this story than she's telling."

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"Kate! You're going to want to see this." Adam's face was serious as he handed her a piece of paper. "It's the result of the DNA we found on Melissa Kirk's body. We ran it against the DNA you collected to eliminate the Kerr girl."

"God," Kate breathed, sickened. "Adam, are you sure about this?"

"I ran it twice," Adam confirmed, his blue eyes serious. "It's definitely the result."

"Damn," Kate swore. "I need to find Danny and Angell."

"Whoa, Irish," Flack said, as she hurried around the cornier and walked straight into him. "Where's the fire."

"Ow," Kate rubbed her nose. "You have a hard chest. I think I broke my nose."

Flack leaned in for a closer look. "Nope, nose still intact," he declared, kissing it. "You ok?"

"Got a break in the Kirk case," she replied, ducking under his arm. "I've got to run. Sorry." She reached up and kissed his cheek. "See you later!"

Flack stared after her, amused. "How about that?"

"How about what?" Stella asked, her smile indicating that she'd seen the whole thing. "How long has this been going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Flack informed her with a grin as he followed her into the office.

"Liar," Stella accused. "She kissed you. You kissed her. Start talking."

"About what?" Lindsay asked, wandering into Stella's office. She looked at the coffee Stella offered her and shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm trying to quit."

Stella narrowed her eyes. "Since when?"

"Ladies," Flack interrupted them, swiping the coffee from Stella and taking a gulp. "This coffee is so much better than the battery acid in the precinct, Stell."

"Why are you here?" Lindsay asked him, slumping into a chair.

"Because our suspect has come up with some additional information that you might want to look at," Flack answered, looking at them. "Let's go."

"Don Flack, don't even think you're getting away with this," Stella declared, abandoning her coffee and hurrying out of the break room after him. "Start talking!"

"About what?" Lindsay was trotting to keep up to them. "Guys, a little consideration for the little person here!"

"Sorry," Flack immediately said, slowing down. "You ok, Linds?" He looked at her pale face and frowned. "You look a little pale."

"I'm ok," Lindsay told him. "Just a touch of flu, I think. What secrets are you hiding?"

"He's dating Kate," Stella said with a satisfied smile.

"That's no secret!" Lindsay looked disgusted. "Everyone knows that?"

"They do?" Flack asked in disbelief. "How does everyone know that? I've only started realising it myself!"

"Because you're a man," Stella told him indulgently. "It's not in your nature to notice things. That's just the way life is."

"I'm not touching that one," Flack declared after thinking carefully for a moment. "Yes, we're dating. And no, I won't tell you about it," he added, seeing two pairs of eyes light up. "Keep it under your hats for now, ladies."

"Too late for that," Stella muttered to Lindsay, who rolled her eyes in agreement. "He's toast!"

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"You sure about this?" Angell asked. Her pretty face was seriousas she read the paper Kate had given her moments before. "This is going to cause a big scandal."

"I'm sure," Kate said solemnly. "Adam ran the test twice."

"So Melissa Kirk had sex with Truman Kerr," Danny said slowly. "Sid said that there was no evidence of assault, so that means it was consensual."

"That's disgusting," Kate said with a shudder.

"And illegal," Angell said grimly. "That's statutory rape."

"Seems like we have a reason to bring Truman Kerr in for further questioning," Kate replied. "This should be fun."

This time she was quite wrong. Bosco stood behind the furious man, his face impassive. Kate nodded to him as she took a seat across with Danny at her side. Angell stood in the background, her eyes watching Kerr carefully. Kate knew those sharp brown eyes didn't miss a thing.

"Hello again, Mr Truman," Danny began. He didn't smile. "We have reason to believe that there are some holes in your story."

"One of them being the part where you had sex with Melissa Kirk," Kate interrupted. "There was no evidence of assault, so we're assuming that it was consensual."

Truman Kerr turned ashen. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't even bother," Angell snapped out. "DNA doesn't lie." She slapped her hands on the table, eyes flashing angrily. "Mr Kerr, you better start talking."

"She came to the office," Kerr began. "Melissa was a beautiful young girl."

"Young being the operative word," Danny said icily. "Too young, Mr Kerr."

"She seduced me," Kerr said defensively. "I didn't intend for it to happen and I'm not proud of it. But I didn't kill her."

"You better have proof of it," Kate retorted. "As it is, you're going down for statutory rape. It'd be no big deal to add murder to that."

"I didn't kill her," Kerr repeated. "I was with someone…else when I saw her go to get a cab."

"Someone else?" Danny echoed. "Who is this someone else?"

"An acquaintance," Kerr answered. "Her name is Delia Connors. She can verify that I was with her until three thirty am."

"Where was Allie while you were out?" Kate asked. "Was she at home alone?"

"I presume so," Kerr said, looking startled. "Where else would she be?"

"You're her father," Kate replied coldly. "You should really know." She got to her feet. "We'll be talking to Allie again. Meanwhile, I suggest you rehire your lawyer."

Outside the room, Angell leaned against the wall and looked at Danny and Kate. "What the hell is missing here?"

"I have no idea," Danny said. He rubbed a hand over his hair. "Melissa Kirk had sex with Truman Kerr. He then went and presumably had sex with this Delia Connors. In the meantime, someone killed Melissa. Who?"

"DNA under her fingernails was from Kerr," Kate remembered. "That's normal if they had sex. There was also DNA from Allie. Again, normal if they were dancing around like they said they were." She shook her head. "I'm going to take another look at those security tapes."

"I'll do the paperwork on our friend Truman Kerr," Angell sighed. She followed Kate down the corridor. "How are things with you and Flack?"

"Fine," Kate said warily, wondering why she was asking. "Why?"

"Just curious," Angell answered brightly. "He's not one to keep a single female for long as a rule."

"Is that a warning, Detective?" Kate stopped and turned to her with a gleam in her eye that Angell immediately recognised as temper.

"Easy," she said, holding up a hand. "I don't want to cause trouble. He's a colleague. So are you. And I think you're both nice. You're nice together."

"You said that before," Kate told her. "Is there something I should know about you and Don?"

"We went out on a couple of dates, " Angell said with a shrug. "Had some fun. That was all. He's not really my type. And I'm not his. He only thought I was at the time."

"Really? You're not his type?" Kate was amazed. "But you're hot?"

"Thanks," Angell said with a grin. "Always nice to hear. But I don't bat that way."

"Ha ha," Kate said with an answering grin. "You're really funny. I'm just surprised that you're not his type. Hot guys always go for the tall blondes and brunettes of the world."

"You fall into the tiny redhead category," Angell told her. "It brings out the protector in him. You think he's hot?"

"You don't?" Kate's jaw dropped. "Jess, do you have a pulse?"

"He's ok," Angell shrugged. She began to laugh at Kate's expression. "Ok, he's hot. But don't tell him that. I have a reputation to protect. Can't let it out that I'm getting female."

"I think they already know that," Kate teased. "Bosco's blood pressure rises every time you're in the room."

"God help us," was Angell's retort as she waved at Kate and headed for her desk. "I'd have to be desperate."

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"You're going to want to see this," Kate told Danny. Her face was alight with excitement as she followed him down the corridor towards the Trace Lab. "I've got something!"

"What?" Danny demanded, waving to Hawkes. "More evidence?"

"The glitter," Kate said excitedly. "I take back everything I said about the glitter. It's cheap and sticky and it captured DNA perfectly. "

"What are you talking about, Kennedy?" Danny asked, totally confused. "Last I heard, the glitter was useless."

"On its own, yes," Kate said loftily. "But mix that with the video tapes that I've just spent the last two hours going over, and it's useful."

"You paged me?" Angell asked, strolling into the room with her usual easy strides. "What's up?"

"Did you hold Truman Kerr in the house?" Kate asked.

"Yes, why? Statutory rape is a crime." Angell looked as confused as Danny. "Kate, what's going on?"

"I looked at the footage from the club," Kate began. "I saw Melissa go into the office and emerge a while later. We all know what she was doing. She came out and went to the ladies room. Then she left and headed outside to get a cab. She was wearing glitter."

"We know that," Danny said impatiently. "The point?"

"It's the glitter," Kate told him triumphantly. "The glitter on her has DNA on it from both Truman Kerr and Alicia Kerr."

"No good if they were dancing together," Danny interrupted. A glare from Kate made him shut up. "Sorry."

"Melissa was wearing green glitter," Kate continued. "The glitter we lifted from her was red."

Angell's eyes lit up. "Alicia?"

"Red glitter," Kate announced. "Alicia must have struggled with Kate. I had Adam run the DNA again and he found epithelials from Allie on the red glitter. None on the green."

"That means that she was close to her," Danny said. "And the salt water plays havoc with evidence, you know that."

"Yes, but its there," Kate told him. "That means that it's enough to use to get a confession."

"That's against regs," Danny immediately answered, shaking his head. "We can't do that."

"It's not coercion if she's not harrassed into it," Kate argued. "It's not like we're going to beat it out of her, Danny. She's the only one who could have done it."

"I don't know," Danny said doubtfully. "It seems like forcing a confession to me." He offered her a smile. "I know that the Irish are fiery and all, Kate, but that's just plain..."

"Genius." Kate finished with a grin. "You know it is." Her face brightened as she saw the tall figure of Flack through the glass doors. He was coming towards the lab, his face serious. "What's up with him?"

"Flack," Danny said, turning to the tall detective as he poked his head around the door. "Your gal here is evil. I like it." He sobered up as Flack beckoned to him. "What's up?"

"It's Lindsay," Flack said. "She's been taken to the hospital."

Danny went white. "When?"

"She was out interviewing a suspect and she said she felt sick. Next we knew, she was keeling over. She hit her head. I didn't catch her on time."

"Which hospital?" Danny asked, his eyes wide with fright. "Where did you take her?"

"Queen of Mercy," Flack answered. She was awake when Stella brought her in. She's not concussed. I called Dee," he told Kate, who nodded.

"Go, Danny. Jess and I can wrap this one."

Danny was already on his way out the door as she said the words. "I'll call you later," he hollered over his shoulder.

"It's six o clock," Flack told Kate, who looked at her watch and groaned. "What?"

"I got another break in this case. Dammit. I can't leave now. Can you go on without me and see if Tara needs anything. I'll stop at home and get changed. If it's not too late, I'll come by then."

"Ok, "Flack agreed, looking doubtful. "I don't like you going on your own, though."

"Cop, Don," Kate reminded him, waving her badge in the air. "I'll get one of the guys to bring me by. Ok?"

Flack nodded before kissing her. "Remember we have a date tonight with my couch and some popcorn."

"Can't wait," Kate replied with a smile. "I'll see you soon."

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"Allie, thanks for coming in," Kate said happily, plonking herself in the hard plastic chair of the interrogation room. "We have some more questions to ask you."

"Like why did you kill your friend?" Angell demanded. She had agreed to play bad cop.

"What?" Allie looked startled. "I didn't kill her?"

"Did you know that your glitter was red?" Kate asked her suddenly. "That cheap glue sticks to everything, you know."

"We were dancing, " Allie said sullenly. "She sneaked off. I followed her to my Dad's office."

"So you saw them," Kate said thoughtfully. "You saw them together?"

"He's my father," Allie spat out. "She's nothing more than a two bit whore."

"That's a nice thing to say about your friend," Angell commented mildly. "You say that about all your friends?"

"She wasn't my friend," Allie said scornfully. "She was a boyfriend stealing tramp!"

"Nice," Kate said with a low whistle. "That's nice. That there has just given us motive." She leaned forward and fixed Allie with a pointed glare. "You really should just tell us the truth. We have the evidence. Let's hear the confession."

"She had sex with my father," Allie repeated. "She was going to steal him too. Just like Griff."

"So you drugged her and marked her hands and ankles so it would look like an assault," Kate said. "Then you tossed her in the river."

Allie simply folded her arms and looked at her. "You have no idea what it's like to be constantly competing for your father's attention?" Her eyes were hot and dark with anger. "He's always off with some woman."

"SO you killed Melissa because she had your father's attention?" Angell said in disbelief. "Because she held more of his attention than you did?"

Allie smiled slowly. It was a cold smile, Kate thought with an inward shudder. She'd never seen a young person with so much hatred bottled up.

"Alicia, did you kill Melissa?" Kate asked, carefully controlling her voice. "Did you?"

"I'd do it again," Allie told her with a toss of her dark hair. "I'd do it all again."

Kate looked at Angell and nodded. She got up and left the room slowly, watching through the observation mirror as Angell read the teenager her rights and signalled to Sasha Munroe to take her away. She sighed and leaned her head against the glass.

"You ok?" Davis asked as he walked past Interrogation. He touched her shoulder gently.

"Hi Ty," she greeted him wearily. "Sorry. Tough case."

He nodded, understanding flashing in his dark eyes. "I've had those days. How's Tara doing?"

Kate smiled, the mention of her sister momentarily easing the stress of the day. "She's much better, actually. She's been sleeping a lot and she's had some pretty bad headaches."

"To be expected," Davis said affably, falling into step beside her as she headed towards the big double doors that led to the bullpen. "She's been through a hell of a lot. So have you. You holding up ok?"

"I'm good," Kate told him. "Don has been great."

"He's a good guy," Davis remarked, nodding to Kaile Maka, who was waving at him. "I was at school with his sister. We even went on a couple of dates."

"I wondered how you guys knew each other," Kate said, surprised. "Makes sense now!"

"You heading to the hospital?" Davis asked her as she stood outside and looked at the passing traffic with a groan. "It's pretty late. I'll drive you."

"I should have been there hours ago," Kate said with a grimace. "The Kirk case delayed me."

"Heard about that. I'll meet you in about ten? I promised Flack I'd make sure you got there ok."

Kate gave up. She nodded her agreement before hurrying into the Lab to collect her purse. Calling a goodbye to Hawkes on the way out, she dialled Flack. "Hey."

"_Well hello there_," he greeted her, the smile in his voice making her grin. "_Where are you?"_

"On my way to the hospital," she answered. "Sorry I got delayed. How's Lindsay?"

"_Much better, Danny says_," Flack answered. "_He took her home a while ago. She seemed ok to me."_

"That's good," Kate said, hopping into Davis' car and buckling her seatbelt. "Davis is giving me a ride to the hospital now. "

"_Tara was asleep when I left to check on Lindsay_."

"How is she?" Kate asked, mouthing to Davis that she was sorry for being on her cell. He waved her apology away immediately. "Is she ok?"

"_She's a little unsettled_," Flack replied. "_She seems restless. But I guess that's normal. She wants to see you. That's what she said before she fell asleep, anyway."_

"We'll be there in ten," Kate informed him. "See you then!"

"Everything ok?" Davis asked, signalling to his right and pulling into the hospital car park.

"Tara's a little unsettled," Kate answered, a worried frown knitting her brows. "I should have gone earlier."

She took the stairs to the third floor, anxiety knotting her insides together. The door to Tara's room was open. Pushing it in, she felt the blood drain from her face as she saw Tara's empty bed. "Tara?" Her purse hit the floor. "Tara?"

Davis was outside, talking to Flack. The men looked up as she came flying out of the room. "Don?"

Flack was on his feet, his hands going to her face. "Kate? What?"

"Tara's not in her room," Kate said, voice shaking. "Don, she's not there!"

**And yet another cliffhanger, I hear you cry. Don't worry, she's not dead. As always, please review! **


	25. The Aftermath Sucks

**I have moved house and the Internet is a little hazy at the moment. I know that I have loads of reviews- 177 to be exact last time I looked! Thank you so very much to all of you. A special thanks to Madison Bellows and hope4sall who very kindly put up with my incessant and no doubt annoying questions over the last few days! Thanks to you all, it's so great to hear from you and I will reply to your reviews as soon as is humanly possible!**

**Chapter 25. The Aftermath Sucks.**

"What do you mean, she's not in her room?" Flack demanded, taking one look at Kate's terrified face and leaping to his feet. He reached out to her as she turned in wild circles, searching for her sister. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Kate cried. "You were the last person to see her!"

"Where would she go?" Davis asked, putting a hand on Kate's shoulder. "The bathroom?"

"She has one in her room," Kate replied, wriggling away from Flack's restraining hold. "Don, she's missing."

Davis was already striding purposefully towards the nurses station, flashing his badge and a charming smile at the young nurse in charge. Kate watched him, noting the woman's confused look and the shake of her head.

"Don." She turned to Flack, panic written all over her face. "Don, she's…"

"Probably gone for some air," Flack soothed, running a hand along her back in comforting strokes. "Kate, think. You told me about the twin tuition thing, can you…I don't know…sense her?" He was gesturing wildly with his free hand, causing other people around to stare at him.

"Don, we're not psychic!" Kate exclaimed. "I can't read her mind! I just know when something's wrong and trust me, something's wrong."

"Nurses haven't seen her," Davis reported as he joined them. "Mona is paging the security guard now. Maybe he saw her."

"I don't know," Kate said fretfully. "Where could she have gone?" She let out a gasp and her face turned bone white. Flack shot out a hand to steady her as she swayed on her feet. "Oh God, what if Sam Caulfield has her? Don, what if he - "

"No chance," Flack interrupted, shoving her into a chair and hunkering down so he could take her hands. "Kate, he's nowhere near here."

"I'll start looking around the exits," Davis offered quietly. "Maybe someone saw her leave."

Flack stood up, his eyes searching the waiting room for signs of Tara. "Thanks, Ty. She can't have gotten far." He felt a tugging on the leg of his pants and looked down. A little girl with a mop of inky black curls and huge brown eyes was looking up at him.

"Are you a policeman?"

"Yes, "Flack answered, looking helplessly at Kate, who tried and failed to smile. "Where's your Mama?"

"She's with Grandma," the child answered innocently. "She doesn't know I'm out here. But you're a policeman, it's ok to talk to you."

"How did you know I'm a cop?" Flack asked, incredulous. "I don't have a uniform on."

The child shyly pointed to his badge, which was clipped to his belt still. "That's how. It's pretty. Can I see it?"

Flack handed it to her, wondering how on earth he always managed to get caught in the middle of things. "What's your name, honey?"

"I'm Alexa Hathaway," she informed him smugly. "I'm four and a half. Is she a policeman too?" She was pointing at Kate, who was talking rapidly into her cell. "She's pretty."

"She sure is," Flack agreed. "And she's a Detective. Not quite a policeman. Like it, though." He bent down to look in Alexa's guileless brown eyes. "Alexa, we should find your Mom."

"Is the other lady a policeman too? She looks like that lady."

Flack instantly went on full alert. "Alexa - "

"You can call me Lexie," she told him trustingly. "Mama calls me that."

"Lexie," Flack said, smiling at her. His Grandma used to say that his smile would charm the cross off an ass. He hoped like hell that it worked on children. "Did you see another lady? Like Kate?"

Lexie cocked her little head to one side, considering, then nodded vigorously, her black curls bobbing up and down. "Yes. She went outside the door downstairs where Mama and me came in."

"You're a very clever girl," Flack declared, signalling to Kate, who came forward immediately. "Kate, this is Lexie. She saw Tara go outside through the ER entrance."

"Hi," Kate smiled at the little girl and sat down on the chair. "Did you see my sister?"

"She looks pretty like you," Lexie said shyly. Turning to Flack again, she smiled. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Flack grinned. "You'd have to ask her. Lexie, can you show me to where Grandma is while Kate goes to look for her sister?"

"I have a sister," Lexie held up her arms to him in a silent command to be picked up. "She's only two. I'm the biggest sister."

"You sure are," Flack agreed, giving her another smile. "Kate." He turned back to Kate. "Get on the phone to Davis and ask him to check with security guards patrolling outside. Ask Dee to check if she went upstairs. " He hoisted Lexie up in his arms. "I'll take her back to her Mom and meet you in a few minutes by the main entrance."

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Davis scanned the car park for any sign of Tara. Her description was easy enough, he thought. Just look for a mirror image of Kate, wearing a white nightgown.

"Where are you?" he muttered to himself, beginning a slow, methodical search of the grounds. She wasn't near the park style benches set in the lawn. Or near the fountain at the side entrance. His cell phone rang. "Davis."

"It's Flack. Any sign of her?"

"None yet, " Davis answered, still looking around the grounds. "I'm checking the south side now. Where are you?"

"Opposite to you," Flack replied. "Kate is with me. If we don't find her in five, we'll call the house and have some of the guys come over and lend a hand."

Davis disconnected at the same time Flack did. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of white. He followed his instincts and headed in the direction of the blurry shape. Rounding the corner at the far side, he came to a stop at the sight in front of him.

Tara stood, staring down at a spot on the ground. The harsh lights of the hospital ground made her face look almost blue. She was shivering, but when Davis looked at the blank expression in her green eyes he knew she didn't feel the cold.

"Tara?"

She didn't answer, but continued to stare down at the ground.

"Tara? It's Ty. Officer Davis. I work with Kate at the five five. Remember me? We met at Mac's house for his daughter's christening."

She didn't look at him. "It happened here," she said, her voice hard and flat. "I think it happened here."

Davis started to approach her, but she shrieked and scrambled backwards. "Don't!"

"Ok," he kept his voice low and even. He pulled out his phone, started to dial Flack, but when she kept talking he flipped it shut again and listened to her.

"He came up behind me. I didn't hear him. Then he grabbed me." Her voice had a singsong quality to it that he recognised as having heard at various call outs to domestic violence and assault. "I tried to scream, but he held me down and tore my sweater sleeve so he could gag me with it."

Davis was slowly inching his way closer to her as she spoke, wondering how on earth he'd deal with this one. Everyone in the house knew what had happened to Kate Kennedy's sister. He'd peeped in the room periodically when he was on guard duty at the hospital. He remembered seeing her, lying still and pale in the bed and wondering what she was like when she was awake. Would she be thoughtful, like Kate? Or was she really the fiery one, like Flack claimed she was?

"He pulled down my jeans," she continued. "He tried to…his eyes." Tears were forming at the corner of her own eyes. "I can see them. They're looking at me."

"Tara," Davis said, very gently. "He's dead. He can't hurt you. Let me take you inside. Huh? We'll get Kate."

She blinked suddenly, her eyes clearing. "Kate?" Confusion spread across her pretty face. "Officer Davis? Why am I outside?"

"You must have wandered outside in your sleep," Davis told her, careful to keep his voice even and his movements slow. "Do you remember what you were dreaming about?"

She nodded, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Yes."

Davis looked down at her, noticing how tiny she was. Her small feet were bare, and she was shivering violently. "You're cold." He immediately unzipped his hooded sweater and draped it over her shoulders. She nestled into the warmth, her face losing some of that awful pallor. Her eyes looked haunted. "Officer Davis? Why am I here?"

"It's Ty," he told her. "I'm going to take you back inside now. Can you take my hand?"

Tara looked at the big hand he was holding out to her. Her gaze travelled upwards to his earnest face and soft brown eyes. She nodded and placed her smaller hand in his, allowing him to lead her back towards the hospital.

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"You found her where?" Flack demanded as he listened intently to what Davis was saying. Kate looked up at him anxiously. He reached out to draw her to his side. Putting the phone aside, he looked down at her. "Davis found her. Westside car park."

Kate's eyes went as wide as saucers as she realised what he'd said. "Where is she now?"

"On the way," Flack said curtly. "Thanks, Davis."

"Where is she?" Kate repeated frantically. "Is she ok?"

"Davis took her back to her room," Flack answered. "He said she was sleepwalking, from what he can gather."

"Did she remember what she was dreaming about? Don, it happened there. It happened in that part of the grounds."

His arm tightened around her as he drew her out of the night air and into the hospital. She was quivering with impatience as they waited for the elevator and all the way up to the third floor. The doors opened and she was running towards her sister's room before Flack could stop her.

"Tara?" Kate burst into the room and stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw dropping as she took in the sight of her sister sleeping peacefully in her bed, holding tightly to Ty Davis' hand. "Ty?"

Davis turned slightly red before he shrugged his shoulders. "She was a little freaked when I got to her."

"What happened to her?" Kate demanded, turning accusing green eyes to Davis. "What did you say?"

"Kate." Flack's voice stopped her rant right in its tracks. "Davis found her, by the looks of it, calmed her down and got her back to bed."

Kate spotted the telltale signs of tears on her sister's cheeks and the way she was clutching Davis' hand, even in her sleep. "What did she say?"

"She remembers the attack," Davis told them. His eyes were almost black with the anger he was keeping in check. "It was pretty tough on her. She was out of it when I spotted her."

"Did she say anything else?"

"She kept talking about this guy's eyes." Davis was looking at Tara as he spoke, his thumb gently stroking across her hand. "Sais she could see them. That they were looking at her."

Kate didn't realise she was trembling until Flack pulled her to him and squeezed her against his chest. "He had mad eyes."

"It's ok," he murmured in her ear. "He's gone now."

"That's what I told her," Davis put in. "I told her that I saw him die with my own eyes. She sort of smiled and closed her eyes and she's been sleeping a few minutes now."

"Thanks, Ty," Kate said gratefully. "I mean it." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, to his extreme embarrassment.

"You can probably let go of her hand now," Flack commented dryly. "She won't notice."

"I probably could," Davis agreed, looking at Tara's small hand in his. "Probably."

Flack raised one eyebrow but made no comment. Instead he turned to Kate. "I should get you home."

"I'll stay here a while," Davis volunteered. "I've got no plans tonight,"

"No hot date?" Kate asked teasingly, smiling at him despite the worry plaguing her. "No hot chick waiting for you in a bar somewhere?"

"Not likely, "Davis snorted. "Girls tend to get sick of being stood up for night shifts and call outs. And of course the working on Christmas and holidays is a killer."

"Davis," Kate said as she stretched her arms over her head with a yawn. "You need to find another cop to date. What about Sasha? She's hot!"

"How about a nurse?" Flack suggested with a wicked grin. "They'll be working when you are."

"Ease up on the matchmaking," Kate ordered, elbowing him in the ribs. "Leave Davis alone!"

"Thank you," Davis retorted, rolling his eyes at his colleagues. "Ease up, Detective."

"Let's go," Flack said to Kate, who nodded tiredly. It had been a long day. She couldn't wait to get home and curl up in bed and sleep with no prospect of being called in to work.

"Mac promised me tomorrow off," she said to Flack as they hailed a cab. "I can sleep in!" She did a little dance of delight, making Flack laugh. "What time are you on?"

"I'm on the graveyard shift tomorrow," Flack said with a grimace. "Those tours usually turn into thirty six hour marathons for me."

"Who else is on?"

"Angell and Maka," Flack answered, pulling out his wallet to pay the cabbie. "They're both putting in overtime. Maka wants time off for her wedding next month."

"Maka's getting married?" Kate squeaked. "When did that happen?"

Flack opened his mouth to answer and cursed as his cell phone rang. He looked at the display and frowned. "Hey, Messer. What's up? How's Lindsay doing? Good." He nodded at Kate's questioning look as she dug in her purse for her keys. Clamping a hand on hers, he tugged her in the direction of his apartment and handed her his own keys. "Ok. Great. See you tomorrow. I'll tell her. Night, Dan."

Kate was pushing in the door of his apartment and heading to the kitchen. "Want something?" she called over her shoulder.

"I'm going to grab a shower and change," he called back, disappearing into his bedroom. "Make yourself at home!"

Kate wandered around his kitchen, opening his refrigerator and finding herself pleasantly surprised to find more than beer and chips in it. She took out some butter and cheese, some tomatoes and some ham and set herself to work making a snack. At the back of the cabinet next to the sink was a can of hot chocolate mix. She sighed happily and fixed herself a large mug.

In the background, she could hear the shower going and the sound of Flack's deep voice humming to himself. She smiled at his choice of song. "…Yeah you, shook me all night long…"

He came into the kitchen to find her singing to herself as she grilled the cheese and put it on plates. The sense of déjà vu made him smile. She was singing AC/DC and fixing him grilled cheese sandwiches. The world was definitely turning the wrong way around.

Kate swung around, still singing and almost dropped the plate at the sight of Flack leaning casually against the doorjamb. "Hi." She handed him the plate, desperately trying not to be affected by the sight of him in bare feet and jeans teamed with a simple blue cotton Academy t-shirt. His hair was wet, his face freshly shaved.

He looked, she thought, at the risk of sounding like a teenager, totally hot.

"Thanks," he said with a smile, accepting the plate and sitting on the couch.

Kate perched on the seat across from him, ignoring his raised eyebrows and picked at her sandwich. "Who's Maka marrying? Is Lindsay ok? Do you think that Davis is home? I should call him and see how Tara was when he left."

"Kate." Flack regarded her with amused blue eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Of course," she said, her voice tingeing on hysterical. "I'm fine!" She jumped to her feet, knocking her cup of hot chocolate into her lap. "Ow! Damn, damn, damn!" She was hopping around, pulling her shirt away from her body in an effort to get the hot fabric away from her.

Flack calmly handed her a towel from the rail in the kitchen and told her to go into his room and find a shirt to replace hers. "Top drawer, they're all there. Take your pick."

She cursed herself as she went into the room and pulled her ruined shirt off. "What is wrong with you? Get a hold of yourself. He's just a guy!" She was muttering to herself as she pulled a shirt out of the drawer and started to put it on.

"And here I thought I was special," he said from the doorway. "Kate, give it a rest," he added as she squeaked and pulled his shirt up against herself again. "I've seen your bra before. I actually like that one."

She was blushing furiously. "Don, I-"

"Am a little jumpy?" He came towards her slowly, the gleam in his eyes unmistakeable. "I can fix that."

"Stop it!" She batted his hands away from her shoulders even as she began to tingle from the feel of his hands on her skin. "Don…" Her warning ended in a sigh as he began to stroke her bare back in rhythmic circles. The shirt fell from her hands as they came up to clutch his shoulders.

"You're so small," he said, his eyes travelling over her, making her blush hotly and raise her arms to hide her skin.

"Ah!" He said warningly as she moved away from him. "Get back here." He began to kiss her, softly at first, then deeper as she wrapped her arms around his waist and responded to him. "Beautiful."

Kate's last coherent thoughts before she gave herself up to the heat coursing through her was that he was a genius. That and the idea that making one person feel so much by doing something so simple should be a crime.

Thank the good Lord it wasn't.

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Flack stirred and looked at the woman sleeping beside him and smiled at the way she was sprawled across him in her sleep. It didn't matter what way she fell asleep, she seemed to gravitate towards him in her sleep and for the second morning in a row, he'd woken to find her sleeping cuddled up to his side, her head on his chest and her arm thrown across his stomach.

Kate stirred in her sleep when he slipped out of the bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. She sighed and immediately curled up in the warm space he'd vacated, a small smile on her lips. He leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead, laughing when her arms shot up and grabbed him around the neck. "Hey!"

"I know you were awake," she said, opening sleepy green eyes and looking up at him. "Good morning."

"Morning," he replied. "Want some breakfast?"

"No," she retorted, "I want to sleep some more." She closed her eyes again, wriggling until she was almost totally covered by the blankets and buried in his pillow. She sniffed at it. "Smells like you," she murmured. "Nice."

Flack was amazed by her ability to fall asleep so fast. She simply wriggled until she was comfortable, and then went out like a light. The nightmares that had plagued her for weeks seemed to be gone away. He wondered if she was still afraid to go down to the morgue.

"Kate? Kaaaay teee," he teased, leaning down to poke at her nose. He laughed again when one small hand swiped at him and she let out a sound like a growl.

"Go 'way!"

He gave up and went to make breakfast. A glance to his watch told him that it was almost ten am. He never slept this late unless he'd been out the night before! He pulled on his sweater and running shoes and headed out towards the door. At the last minute he turned and scribbled a quick note to Kate to tell her where he was.

He ran his entire six miles with a smile on his face.

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Kate looked at the note on the counter and grinned to herself. "Gone for a run. Back soon. D." She grabbed the pen and scribbled a quick reply before letting herself out of his house with his keys and going next door to her own.

She pushed in the door and inhaled the smell of bacon and toast. Brian Cambelli stood in her kitchen making breakfast. He turned around just as she was sneaking towards her bedroom. "Not so fast, Kennedy!"

She jumped, flushing bright red. "Hi."

He grinned knowingly at her before turning to the living room. "Hey Deanna! Little sister's home!"

"Bite me!" Kate hissed at him, turning even redder. "Just bite me, Cambelli!"

"Well, well," Dee declared, strolling into the room with a broad grin. "Look who's doing the Walk of Shame! Hello, Katelyn."

"Deanna," Kate returned, equally formal. Then she gave it up and grinned at her friend. "Hi."

"Hi," Dee repeated, astounded. "Hi? That's all I get? What about details?"

"Of what?" Kate asked innocently, ignoring Dee's perusal of the NYPD shirt that fell to her knees,the bare feet and the tousled auburn curls that fell around her face. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You _so_ slept with Flack!" Dee shrieked, making Brian wince.

"Dee, sweetie, I don't think they heard you in Australia," Brian told her, handing her a plate. He turned to Kate with a wide grin. "Want some breakfast? All nighters can make you…hungry."

Kate ignored him. "I'm going to visit Tara today. I've got a whole twenty-four without being on call." She turned back to hDee, who was struggling not to laugh. "Enjoy your breakfast. I'm guessing by that mark on your neck that I'm not the only one with an appetite today!" She left the kitchen as Dee's jaw dropped, Brian's laughter ringing in her ears.

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"You slept with Flack!" Tara accused the moment her sister stepped into her room. Davis, who was sitting beside her bed, choked on the soda he was drinking.

"Tara!" Kate exclaimed, mortified. She cast a furtive glance at Davis, who suddenly became engrossed in the paper he was reading. "Do you think that they heard you in Australia?" She borrowed the phrase Brian had used earlier.

"But you -"

"Tara!"

"I should go," Davis said suddenly, getting to his feet and looking from Kate's flushed face to Tara's gleeful green eyes. "I go on shift at one." He clasped Tara's hand in his a moment, then released it. "I'm glad you're feeling better today. Remember what I said, ok?"

"Thanks, Ty," Tara replied, smiling up at him. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Anytime," Davis told her, picking his hat up from the nightstand and putting it on his head. "See you, Tara. Bye, Kate."

"Bye," Kate echoed after him, watching his tall figure leave the room. "See you soon!" She turned to Tara and narrowed her eyes. "Start talking!"

"About what?" Tara looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Why was Ty Davis here? And why are you blushing?"

"You're just trying to change the subject from you and Flack getting it on," Tara retorted. "Ty stopped by this morning to see if I was ok. He was really good to me last night, Katie. I don't know how I would have stayed sane without him."

"How so?" Kate asked, shocked. "When I left you were sleeping."

"I woke up," Tara said shortly. "I woke up and he was still holding my hand. He's a good guy, Kate. He deserves better than me."

"Stop that!" Kate protested, outrage coming off her in waves. "That's a terrible thing to say about yourself. You're more than good enough for any guy. Especially Davis."

"I don't want to get involved with any guy." Tara's voice was flat, but her eyes showed her distress. "I can't, Katie." She stopped for a second, steadying herself, then took a deep breath. "I can't right now."

"That's ok," Kate said softly. "It's to be expected." She took her sister's hand. "Tara, I was kidnapped. Derek Ames was shot inches from me. And he did the same things to me that he did to you. But just not as bad."

"I don't know what he did while I was out," Tara told her, tears beginning to fall. "I keep imagining him, standing over me while I was unconscious, touching me. Kate, I can't sleep…I can't eat. I keep seeing his eyes-"

Kate simply reached over and wrapped her arms around her twin, holding on tight and whispering in her ear like she'd done when Tara had been broken hearted over Paul Delaney when they were eighteen.

"I wish Mom was here," Tara sobbed. "I want her."

"Me too," Kate said, feeling her own tears rise. "It feels like forever since we've seen them."

"I wonder what she'd say if she were here," Tara mused, pulling back from Kate and scrubbing her eyes furiously.

"Tara, my darling girl," Kate began in a perfect imitation of her mother's Irish accent. "Get off your arse and look to the bright side. It's the aftermath of a shock you're feeling, not a thing more!"

"You're not dead, my love," Tara continued in the same brogue, a smile breaking across her face. "So face it head on and use the courage God gave you!"

Kate gave an unladylike snort. "Aftermath of a shock, my ass. "

"The aftermath sucks, " Tara agreed. She leaned her head against her sister's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, Katie. I'm really glad you're here."

"I'll always be here, " Kate told her, just as she had years before after the Paul Delaney fiasco.

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"What was so urgent you couldn't wait for me to get to work?" Flack grumbled as he slid into the seat at the diner where he and Danny met for lunch once a week. "I was going by the hospital to-"

"Lindsay's pregnant," Danny blurted out suddenly. "I'm a dad, Flack. A Dad!"

"What?" Flack's eyes went as wide as saucers. "What? That's great! Congratulations, man!" He stood up to clasp Danny's hand, and then simply hugged his best friend. "Well done!"

"I didn't do it alone," Danny joked. He was grinning so hard that Flack thought his jaw would burst. "I'm going to be a father!"

"I'm happy for you, Dan," Flack said sincerely. "That's the best news."

"It's a little scary," Danny admitted. "We haven't told people yet. But I had to tell someone and Lindsay said it was ok. She's telling Stella and Mac now. We didn't want to do the big announcement thing. It's like tempting fate or something."

"A little scary," Flack quipped. "Messer, getting married was a little scary. Having a baby, well that's just…" Words escaped him.

"Terrifying!" Danny said fervently. "Flack, what if I'm a lousy father? What if I fail my kid in some way?" His blue eyes were serious behind his glasses. "What if I fail Lindsay?"

Flack leaned forward and propped his head in his hands. He looked at his friend, who was shredding his napkin now. "Messer, listen to me. You love Lindsay, right?"

"More than anything," Danny agreed. "She's my whole life."

"And you'll love your kid, won't you?"

"What kind of fool question is that?" Danny demanded. "Of course I will. I do already," he corrected himself. "God, Flack. It's the size of a peanut and it's already the most important thing to me."

"Then how can you fail either one of them?" Flack asked simply. He sat back triumphantly. "You have to admit, I have a point."

"Shut up." But Danny was grinning widely. "I hate it when you're right."

"I hope the kid takes after your wife," Flack shot back with a grin. "Otherwise we're all screwed!"

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"No way!" Kate shrieked into the phone. "Stella, that's amazing! Is she here?" She was peering around the bar as if Lindsay might appear out from under the table. They had all chosen to meet at Sullivan's bar to celebrate Danny and Lindsay's good news. Kate hadn't heard until Stella mentioned it.

The other woman had apologised profusely for not telling her earlier, but she had forgotten in the excitement.

"It's our first lab baby!" Kate exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. She sat next to Flack, who had an arm stretched casually across the back of her chair, playing with the ends of her hair.

"Not our last, though," Stella said with a smile at her husband. "Right, Marine?"

"Yes Ma'am," Flynn drawled, making Kate's jaw drop.

"You're not!" She almost spat out her wine. "Seriously? You're not!"

"I'm not, " Stella agreed gravely. "Yet."

"Stella," Flack groaned, turning pale. "I don't want to know!"

"Jealous, Flack?" Flynn joked, grinning at the younger man. "You have a thing for my wife?"

"Nope," Flack tossed back, grinning. "Sorry, Stell. You're hot and all. Ow!" Stella and Kate had both kicked him under the table. "What is wrong with you two!"

"Hot?" Kate asked, pretending to be outraged. "You're not supposed to say that!"

"Flack, my friend," Flynn said cheerfully, popping a handful of nuts in his mouth and grinning widely. "My advice to you as a happily married man -"

"Who's never home," Flack interrupted scornfully.

"Happily married, " Flynn emphasised, "and my advice to you is to just tell her she's right and she won't shoot you!"

"Who won't shoot who?" Lindsay asked as she and Danny arrived to a flurry of hugs and kisses and congratulations.

"Nice work, Mama," Kate said, hugging Lindsay. "Congratulations, Pa Messer!" She bestowed a huge hug on Danny, who was almost puffing with pride.

"Good job, Montana," Flack reached out to gently hug Lindsay. "You feeling ok? Messer taking care of you? Cause I can have him arrested if he doesn't."

Hawkes and Mac, who had arrived behind them, were waiting to congratulate Lindsay, who found herself passed from pair of arms to pair of arms.

"Can I have my wife back now?" Danny demanded. "Hawkes, let go of her. Get your own woman!"

Hawkes grinned and kept hold of Lindsay, who laughed. "Can't, " he deadpanned. "She loves me."

"I do," Lindsay answered, grinning at her outraged husband. "Danny, I'm sorry, but I do."

"You said it to me first," Danny argued, reaching over Kate and pulling Lindsay to him. "And anyway, she likes me better, don't you?"

"All things considered, "Lindsay agreed. "I probably do."

Flack caught Kate's eye and squeezed her hand under the table. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, ignoring Mac's raised eyebrows and Stella's 'I told you so' look at Flynn.

"It's going to get better now," he whispered. "I promise."

**Ok, so fluff again. But I like it. I like happy people. I'm a great believer in happy people and happy endings etc. As ever, reviews/ comments/ suggestions gratefully appreciated. I can even take criticism as long as it's not abusive! **


	26. No Answers

Hey all, how are things

**Hey all, how are things? Sorry I've taken a while to post, I've been working on other stuff and moving house (still!) and there's a music festival on at home too so am very busy getting Granny's pub ready for it! **

**Hope4sall: I agree about the fluff, I think it's always good too. As for Flack and Kate, they really are great together aren't they? The only other person who'd be better is me! **

**Xomgitslexie: Tara/Davis is a great idea. I loved Davis on Third Watch I'd love him to be on CSI he's hot!**

**Hockeymom: Well, you're a Mom aren't you! Moms are always right or so my own tells me. I don't think that people bounce back from being attacked quite that fast, but I agree with you about Davis/Tara. I have a picture of them in my head and it's cute! **

**BEG75: I hear ya! Ty Davis was serious eye candy on TW. Come to think of it, there was lots of eye candy on that show! Things have to look up really; I can't keep inflicting doom and gloom on them! Hope you're keeping well!**

**Katydid13: No, she's not damaged, but she thinks she is. And she's pretty scared right now so she needs time to heal. It's not like she was dating Ty before she was attacked, like Kate and Flack. They were already together (sort of!) **

**Laplangurl: I thought long and hard about who I would put Tara with. I like things to be in neat pairs. Sad, isn't it! Davis would be good for anyone, but he's perfect for Tara. I just hope she sees it eventually! They met before, at Mac's party, but she didn't notice him really. Poor Ty. As for Papa Danny, that's going to be immense fun! **

**Madison Bellows: I don't know where I'd be without you. You must be a direct descendant of Job himself! Glad you liked it! **

**Dangermouse00: Happy is always good isn't it! Things are looking up. Plenty more fun and games to come! **

**Mrs I G: It is, isn't it? I just love babies! I have a brand new cousin and I adore her. So Mama and Papa Messer will be such fun to write!**

**Chapter 26. No Answers.**

Kate pushed open the door of the ladies room at the Lab and greeted Stella with a smile. The older woman was tying her curls into a ponytail. Kate opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of retching from one of the stalls. She raised her eyebrows at Stella, who shook her head.

"Linds? You ok, kiddo?" Stella tapped softly on the cubicle door. "Lindsay?"

The toilet flushed and a green looking Lindsay emerged. "God." She surveyed her reflection in the mirror in disgust. "I look like hell."

"Morning sickness?" Kate asked sympathetically. "How long does that last?"

"Apparently for the first three months," Lindsay said with a weak smile. "I shouldn't complain. I know I shouldn't. I've always wanted a baby. But God." She splashed water furiously on her face. "I feel like crap."

"Here." Kate dug a mini packet of crackers from her purse. "Try those. They might help."

A knock sounded on the door and Danny poked his head inside, a worried frown creasing his face. "You alright Montana?"

"Fine," Lindsay responded weakly. "I'm just great. I've brought up my breakfast for the eighth morning in a row. I'm just peachy."

Danny grimaced. "Hormones?" he asked in an undertone. "Is that why she's mad at me? The book talked about hormones and stuff, so I-"

"You're reading a pregnancy book?" Stella asked, her eyebrows shooting upwards in shock. "Danny Messer, reading a pregnancy book?" She walked to the window and opened it, looking up into the New York skyline.

"What are you doing?" Kate was mystified. "Stella?"

"I'm looking for the flying pigs," Stella replied in a muffled voice. "They have got to be there somewhere!"

As Kate and Lindsay burst into laughter, Danny scowled at them. "Thanks. Just remember that when I know about the baby and you don't have a clue."

"Messer, why is your head stuck in the ladies room?" Hawkes could be heard demanding. "Is Lindsay ok?"

"I'm fine!" Lindsay shouted out. She shook her head at her colleagues. "God. I only announced that I'm pregnant a week ago and suddenly people won't let me lift so much as a Petri dish. They won't let me do ballistics, and someone has started stocking herbal tea in the break room." Out of breath, she threw her hands in the air and cast the other two an accusing glare. "What are you two laughing at?"

"Hormones," Kate giggled. "It's definitely the hormones. What do you think, Stell?"

"I think Danny should watch out, "Stella managed, holding her sides. "It's going to get interesting around here."

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"Hey," Kate greeted Flack with a smile and a kiss as he walked into the break room an hour later. "What brings you here?"

"Case," he said briefly before helping himself to her coffee. "Hawkes has autopsy results from my homicide."

"Is that the one with the stab wounds to the chest?" Kate asked, interested. "I heard about that one. What kind of weapon did the perp use?"

"That's for Lindsay to find out," Flack told her with a smirk. "I'm no science geek!"

"Donald Flack!" Kate scolded. "That's no way to talk about your colleagues. Besides," she added with a teasing grin. "You seem to like science geeks."

"Just this one," Flack put in, ignoring her squeak of protest as he hauled her into his lap. "This one is my sexy science geek." He was nuzzling her neck as Lindsay came in and rolled her eyes at them.

"You two," she groaned, going to the coffee maker and pouring herself a cup. "I'm sick as it is! Don't make me any worse."

"Should you be drinking that?" Flack demanded, putting Kate aside so he could go over to Lindsay and take the mug from her hand.

"Back off!" Lindsay barked at him. "Mine!"

"Ok," Flack said, hastily stepping backwards and putting his hands up. "Don't shoot. I was just asking – "

"If it's ok for me to drink coffee, if I should really be lifting that DNA sample," Lindsay was saying hotly. "And should I really be going down to the morgue? It might corrupt the baby!"

"Um, Linds?" Flack asked hesitantly. "Are you ok?"

"No," she wailed, setting the coffee down and bursting into tears. "I'm eight weeks pregnant and I'm getting fat!"

Kate stared down at Lindsay's flat stomach, wondering how on earth to handle this one. "Lindsay, you're not fat. The baby is only the size of a potato." She hoped. "You couldn't be fat."

"I want to be fat," Lindsay sobbed piteously. "I want to be showing and fat and feel the baby kick."

Flack put an arm around her and held tight, looking over her head at Kate with panic in his eyes. "It's ok, Lindsay. You're fat."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Don!"

"Thank you," Lindsay sniffed. "Thanks, Don. You're the best." She wiped her eyes and took the tissue Kate offered her. "Sorry. Hormones."

"Danny mentioned them," Flack replied with a smile. "Don't worry about it. He told us that-"

"Don't tell Danny," Lindsay ordered. "I don't want him to be right!"

"Deal," Kate told her with a grin. "Now, go and play with Adam's mind some. He's afraid you're going to just pop a baby out in front of him."

Lindsay's smile grew wide. "Oh the possibilities! See you later!"

"Where were we?" Flack asked, pulling Kate towards him again. "Ah yes."

"Flack," Kate admonished, pulling away from him. "I work here. Mac wouldn't like us…you know... in the brak room where the walls are all made of glass…"

"Katelyn, I'm not suggesting we have sex in the break room," Flack said patiently. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Although…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Donald Flack," Kate ordered. "I refuse to risk my job for you and your-"She was interrupted by the sound of Flack's pager going off. "You got a call? " When he nodded, she sighed. "I'll see you later. No doubt we'll all get one at some stage."

"This is a big one," Flack frowned. "I have to go. See you later." He leaned down to kiss her. "I'll stop by the hospital to see Tara and we'll grab a bite to eat then. Ok?"

"I love it when you take charge," Kate teased, laughing when he rolled his eyes at her. "Go. Be Super Cop. Catch the big bad guys." She batted her eyelashes at him. "My hero!"

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"This is bad," Hawkes said an hour later as he stood surveying the scene in front of him. "This is really bad."

"I'll say." Kate stood next to him, trying not to breathe in the smell of blood permeating the air in the classroom at Kellerman HIgh School. It was splattered across the walls, pooled on the floor. It was a reminder of the carnage that had left four high school students dead and several hundred terrified and angry students outside the building.

"What happened here?" Hawkes demanded turning to Flack and Angell, who were standing in the doorway.

Flack's jaw was set, his blue eyes sizzling with a temper Kate rarely saw in him. Angell was pale, her dark eyes huge with shock and something else Kate though looked like sorrow. It was hardly surprising. Nobody escaped from scenes like this one without at least one visit to the Department shrink. Everybody, from Homicide to the CSI's to the coroner's office, from the uniformed patrol cops and the paramedics, everybody hurt when they were faced with something like this.

"Any witnesses?" Kate asked, looking around at the four bodies on the ground. "Did anyone see _anything_?"

"No," Angell said with a weary sigh. "According to the first reports, shots were heard and when students came in to investigate, they found the victims lying on the ground."

Danny came into the room, followed by Stella. Lindsay was outside, talking to Mac. "Hey guys, what happened here? Davis said that there were no witnesses."

Kate gestured to the bodies lying around her. "Looks like a shootout to me."

Stella shook her head sadly. "Who would do this to someone?" Her gaze flicked from one victim to the next, finally coming to rest on the victim farthest apart from the group. "This one looks older. Is she a teacher?"

Angell stepped farther into the room, squaring her shoulders and taking out her notebook. "Our first victim is fifteen year old Kelvin Fletcher." She pointed to a young man with a hole in his chest. "Over there is sixteen year old Sarah Taylor. The one next to her is her sister Clara, and that one is the teacher, Nora Dalton."

"Two sisters from one family," Kate said in horror, unable to tear her gaze away from where Sarah Taylor was lying, arms wrapped around her sister. Clara was slumped across Sarah's shoulder, her terror filled eyes blankand staring. The girls had identical black hair and brown eyes. "Twins." She felt Flack's hand on her shoulder and closed her eyes briefly.

"I'm going to go outside and see what the uniforms got from the witnesses," Angell announced. "We might get something from them." She hastily exited the room.

"Ok," Stella clapped her hands together. "Mac has assigned this one to me because the Mayor wants him in court to testify in the Nelson homicide. Lindsay is on Trace for this one. Bag and tag everything carefully and get it back to her and Adam. Kendall will be joining us shortly to help with the processing." She squeezed Kate's hand before pulling on her gloves.

"How come we're getting all the stops pulled out?" Danny wanted to know. "Not complaining, but just curious."

"Because every newspaper and TV station in the state will be outside this building in minutes," Stella replied. "And we need to get this one solved."

"Stell?" Kate was hunkered down next to the Taylor sisters. She pointed to something in Clara's hand. "I think we have the murder weapon."

The sound of an anguished wail from outside the room caught their attention. Flack was wrestling with a young girl who looked to be about sixteen. Her blonde hair was hanging in her face and her brown eyes were wild. "Let go of me! Sarah?" She slumped against Flack, sobbing. He caught her and led her outside the room.

"Kate, go and see who she is and how she got in," Stella ordered. "Danny, take the teacher. Hawkes, take the sisters. Kate will help you when she comes back in. I've got the male victim. Be thorough, people. Mac doesn't want any mistakes on this one."

Kate nodded and took off her gloves before going outside to where Flack was sitting beside the distraught girl. He looked up at her, his eyes pleading for help. If the situation hadn't been so tragic, she might have laughed. She pulled a Kleenex out of her pocket and handed it to the girl. "Hi." Her tone was calm. Reassuring. "I'm Detective Kate Kennedy, with the New York Crime Lab. What's your name?"

The girl looked at her with tear stained brown eyes before she replied. "Violet. Violet Stenson."

"Hi Violet," Kate said softly. "How did you manage to get in here?" She pointed towards the doors at the end of the corridor, currently under siege by several hundred press reporters and photographers. Over the babble of questions the sound of students sobbing could be clearly heard.

"I was already in here," Violet whispered. "I was in the AV lab, editing a piece on the wrestling team when I heard the shots. I ducked under the table and hid." She let out a sob. "I didn't try to help them."

"If you had, you'd be dead too," Flack told her, his blue eyes focused on the girl's face. "Violet, do you have any idea who would do this?"

Violet's head snapped up. "No. I have no idea who would do it. I don't know why any of them would want to kill Ms Dalton or each other."

"How do you know it was one of them?" Kate asked, narrowing her eyes at Flack.  
"Because I've seen the movies," Violet retorted. "You have one person who thinks that because they can't handle high school that it's ok to just come in and punish the rest of us." She was crying silently into her hands. "And now Sarah and Clara are dead. "

"Did you know them?" Flack asked her, handing her another Kleenex. "The Taylor sisters, that is."

"Everyone knows them," Violet told him. "They're the school's pride and joy. Clara sings, Sarah plays piano. They're on the honour roll and they have a perfect GPA. Add to that they're identical twins. Guys love identical twins."

"Were you friends with either of them?"

"You got one, you got the other," Violet said, giving them a watery smile. "We were in middle school together. Sarah was my lab partner for science class."

"What were they doing in that classroom?" Kate asked.

"Tutoring," Violet answered. "They have-had- perfect grades so they tutored once a week to help other students catch up."

"Ok." Kate stood up. "Thank you, Violet. Is there anyone you can call?"

"Detectives?" Faith Yokas came towards them, followed by a tall, thin man with wire rimmed spectacles. "This is the principal, Tom Cooper."

"Detectives Flack and Kennedy," Flack said, shaking the man's hand. "We're sorry for what happened here, Mr Cooper."

"Thank you," Tom Cooper replied, ducking his head. "I need to know when I can start telling my students to go home."

"Not for some time," Kate said regretfully. "We're going to need to talk to all of them. Can you gather them wherever you hold assembly and have them wait there?"

"These kids have been through hell today," Tom Cooper warned. "They won't be the most cooperative bunch. Who's in charge of this investigation?"

"Homicide," Flack informed him. "We'll be heading it up until our colleagues in the Crime Lab tell us otherwise."

"Are scientists allowed to be part of a homicide investigation?"

Kate bristled. "I was a detective in Chicago, Mr Cooper. And a good one. Here, I'm mixing g science with my police background. It works very well." She smiled at him. "We'll get to the bottom of this, I assure you."

"Yes. Well. I expect to be kept in the loop." Tom Cooper looked miffed. Turning to Violet, who was still sitting on the chair, he gentled his tone. "Violet, go and wait in assembly with the other students. Go on."

Stella came out of the classroom, her face grave. "Kate, can you go and help Hawkes if you're done here?"  
"Sure, "Kate agreed. "Stella? When can Mr Cooper start calling parents?"

Stella gave the man one look before answering. "When I say so."

"They'll have heard it on the news," he argued. "They'll be concerned."

"Naturally," Stella agreed. "And I have no objections to your students calling their parents to tell them that they're safe. I just can't allow them to leave right now." With that, she walked away, back to the crime scene.

Angell appeared at Flack's side. "We ready to talk to them?"

He looked down at her pale face and wondered if he was imagining those red rimmed eyes. "You ok?"

"Fine," she said sharply. "Sorry, Flack. Bad day. I'm good."

"Ok," he said, clearly not believing her. "Let's go."

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Three hours later, Kate closed the lid on the last of the DNA samples and marked the last of the fingerprint samples she'd taken from the assembled students. Beside her, Stella cleared her throat. "Can I have your attention, please?"

"Can we go home now?" One girl asked, her eyes puffy from crying. "Please?"

Stella nodded. "We need to get addresses from each of you. Don't go until your parents have given details to the police. Once you've done that, you're free to go."

Kate watched as the doors of the assembly hall were opened and a flood of concerned parents entered. The sound of tearful cries of delight filled the air as various students were enveloped in parent's arms. She saw Violet Stenson being led out by a man who was clearly her father. He was holding her hand tightly in his, her head on his shoulder as she cried.

"Excuse me," a woman at her side asked hesitantly. "Are you a police officer?"

"Yes ma'am," Kate answered politely. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for my daughters," she answered. "Do you know where I could find them?"

Kate felt sick. "What are their names?" she asked, knowing she already had the answer.

"Clara and Sarah Taylor," answered the petite, dark haired woman. "I'm Susan Taylor, their mother."

"Mrs Taylor, I'm Detective Kennedy, with the New York Crime Lab," Kate told her, beckoning to Angell, who hurried over. "This is Detective Jessica Angell, with the Homicide Department. She's one of the detectives heading up the investigation. Jess, this is Susan Taylor."

Angell's eyes widened slightly, but she managed to control herself. "Mrs Taylor, can you come with me, please?"

Susan Taylor began to tremble. "It's one of them isn't it? Which one?" She began to turn around in frantic circles. "Clara? Sarah? Girls, where are you?"

"Mrs Taylor, I don't think we should do this here," Angell told her gently, putting a restraining hand on the distraught woman's shoulder. "Please, come with me now."

"Clara!" Susan Taylor screamed, causing parents and students to turn around and look over at them. "Sarah! Tell me where my daughters are. Now!"

Angell seemed frozen in place, so Kate stepped forward, seeing Flack coming towards her out of the corner of her eye. "Mrs Taylor, I'm so sorry."

"Which one?" Susan asked, terror filling her dark eyes. "Oh God, which one? One won't survive without the other. They do everything together."

Tears filled Kate's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mrs Taylor. They were both in the classroom."

Susan Taylor shook her head violently. "No. You're lying. You're lying! Sarah? Clara?" She took a step forward, looking into Kate's eyes. "My girls?"

"I'm so sorry," Kate repeated. "They were together in the room. Mrs Taylor, I'm so sorry."

Susan Taylor seemed to crumple into herself right before their eyes. Her legs buckled and she stumbled forward another step before slumping to the ground. Kate lunged to catch her at the same time as Flack did. A keening wail of anguish escaped her as Kate sat beside her, rocking her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Angell rushing from the hall.

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Flack looked up at Kate as she came towards the waiting cruiser. "She ok?"

Kate shook her head. "No. Where's Angell?"

Flack looked around. "Isn't she still inside with you?"

"Didn't you see her leave? When we were with Susan Taylor, she ran out. Don, what's going on with her?"

IT was Flack's turn to shake his head. "I don't know, Kate." He pulled out his cell phone. "Voicemail" he mouthed. "Angell, its Flack. Where are you? We've got paperwork to file."

"I'll look inside," Kate volunteered. "Wait for me here, ok?" Lindsay had gone back to the Lab earlier, accompanied by Danny. Hawkes and Stella were taking the Range Rover back, leaving Kate to hitch a ride with Flack and Angell.

She headed straight down to the end of the corridor, to where the police tape was still stuck to the door, and peered inside.

Angell stood inside the door, lost in thought. One tear trickled down her face. Kate was shocked. In the months she'd been at the crime Lab, Angell's unflappable calm had never been shaken. Kate admired the other woman's ability to shut out the parts of the job that made a person doubt human nature. To see the tough detective upset at a scene was a shock.

"Jess?"

Angell whipped around, her eyes wet. "I'm sorry. I'm coming. Just give me a minute." She rubbed at her eyes furiously. "Sorry. "

"Jess, what happened?" Kate asked, putting a hand on her arm. "Back there, in the assembly hall. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Angell snapped out. She stopped, sighed. "I can't talk about it."

"Ok," Kate agreed. "But if you want to, I'll listen." She offered Angell a smile. "I'm good at it."

"Kate? Thanks."

"No problem. But if you can't work this one, then you should tell your Captain. It's not going to get easier," Kate advised. "Come on. Our chariot awaits."

**That's all I've got time for, folks. I'll be back again soon. Hopefully by the end of the week! As always, I love to hear from you all. **


	27. Actions have Reactions

**Hi guys, I am starting off by apologising for the last chapter there were a few typos in it and some spelling errors. It was posted in kind of a hurry my boss came in while I was editing it and I had to act fast! **

**Thanks to all who reviewed and to the ones reading and not leaving a message, thanks for dropping in. I'd still love to hear from you though! **

**Forest Angel: I'm glad you like the case, it's a tough one to write, it's reality for so many schools over in the States. We've never really had things like that happen here although I don't doubt that there are kids in Irish schools who would do the same given the chance. **

**Hope4sall: I really love Angell's character on the show. She's gutsy and independent and I think that she's a great addition to the franchise. No, she hasn't lost it. From what we see of her onscreen she's quite frosty. At least that's how I see her. She's not one for reaction really. So I decided to make her a little softer. **

**BEG75: Thanks for your PM, massive help with Lindsay; she was misbehaving for a while. Glad you liked it. And kudos to you for all your work! **

**Dol: Thank you for all your help and for your beta work I'd have major grammar errors if I didn't have you!**

**Xomgitslexie: It's weird how you start off and it just spills out of you, then you get farther along and you start to get distracted by other ones and then you lose a little of the plot...You'll beok, keep the chin up. It'll come to you. Thanks for dropping in! **

**I am going to stress once again that I don't own CSI, its sister shows or characters that you recognise here. I don't own Third Watch either. I just love them all dearly! **

**Chapter 27: Actions have Reactions. **

Flack looked up as Kate came out of the building, followed by a subdued looking Angell. He watched as Kate said something to the other woman before putting a hand on her arm and squeezing. He smiled to himself despite the hellish day they'd had so far.

Tilting his head to the side he watched the women approach the car. They were as different as chalk and cheese, he thought. He'd dated Angell briefly, and like all the men in the bullpen, he had to admire the lean figure, the long dark hair and those unreadable deep brown eyes. She was tough and at times seemed almost icy. Flack figured that it was the fact that she had four older brothers. That and a Detective Sergeant for a father. Angell had told him once that she felt like she had to prove herself to her family. Flack was of the private opinion that she was her own harshest critic.

Then there was Kate. The polar opposite of Angell with her dark red hair and those green eyes that gave everything away. He wasn't sure when he'd started referring to her as 'his Kate', but in his head she was. He smiled ruefully as he noted her small form trotting after Angell's taller one. They said that the best of goods came in small packages. It was so true. Maka had teased him mercilessly about Kate since they'd started dating, but for the first time in his thirty three years he didn't mind the ribbing from his colleagues. Thacker called her Half Pint, a nickname she ignored because it was better than some of the others she'd heard. The twin jokes had stopped too, thank God.

"Don?" Kate was staring up at him, her eyes questioning. "You ok? "

He shook himself out of his reverie and smiled at her. "I'm fine." He wrapped his arms around her and just held tightly for a moment, inhaling the faint smell of vanilla and peaches that lingered on her skin.

"You sure?" Kate asked, tipping her head back so she could look in his eyes.

"I'm good," he assured her before kissing the tip of her nose and releasing her. He held open her door as she climbed into the Jeep and shut it behind her. Angell had already climbed into the back seat and was staring out of the opposite window, lost in thought.

"She ok?" Flack said in an undertone to Kate, nodding towards Angell, who didn't even acknowledge their presence.

"I'm not sure," Kate admitted. "She's got something on her mind. She's hard to read sometimes, Don. But she'll talk when she's ready."

Flack nodded, glancing in the rear mirror again before pulling out into the stream of traffic and heading in the direction of the police house.

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"So," Stella pushed back from the table and rubbed at her aching eyes. "So far we have three dead teens, a dead teacher, and a gun."

"Lots of blood spatter," Kate added, tossing the photographs of the classroom walls towards Stella and taking the ones depicting the victims from Hawkes.

"Lots of DNA," Lindsay put in, adding a stack of paper to the rapidly growing pile on the Trace Lab table. "Lots of it. That classroom was a smorgasbord of trace. I found prints from other students, prints from the other staff, you name it. And traces of various food and soft drinks. There was also lots of chalk powder around the place. No prints on the gun, and the DNA I found was a match to the Taylor sisters. There were traces of them everywhere."

"It's a classroom," Kate pointed out. "They were in it. It's bound to be that way. As for the gun, maybe our shooter cleaned it."

"What about autopsy?" Stella asked. "Where are we on that?"

"Sid's finished the twins and the teacher," Hawkes reported. "He's working on the male victim now. He told me that he'd be about another hour."

Stella stretched and yawned. "It's been a long one, guys. And it is now," she glanced at her watch, "nine o clock." She smiled at the collective groan that echoed around the room. "Go home. We'll continue this tomorrow first thing."

"I'm going to the hospital," Kate told her as the others began to file out of the room, talking quietly. "I called Don earlier; he's on his way there. Davis is giving me a ride in one of the cruisers."

"Davis?" Stella's eyebrows went up. "Ty Davis? Why?"

"He and Tara are friends," Kate replied as they left the Trace Lab and headed for the locker room. "He was around that night she went MIA and he found her." She was shaking her hair loose from the braid she'd put it in earlier and pulling on a sweater over her shirt. "He was really great."

"Do I detect romance?" Stella asked as she unclipped her gun and put it in her own locker.

"Not right now," Kate told her, sitting down to change her black heeled boots for her favourite pair of converse trainers. "Tara's not really ready to go there, and Ty seems to be ok with that."

"Flack will kick his ass if he isn't," Stella said with a grin. "He's turned all big brother where Tara's concerned!"

"I know!" Kate exclaimed. "He and Brian are as bad as each other. What is it with the men of the NYPD and the NYFD? Kim says that Jimmy was the same when they were married."

"It's the whole 'I am man, woman mine' thing," Stella replied. "Flynn is exactly the same." A smile crossed her face as she thought of her husband. "I've barely seen him this week, between one thing and another. He's off tonight so I'm going home." Her smile turned wicked. "Can't wait!"

"Oh please," Kate groaned. "I didn't need to know!"

"Like you haven't been staying at Flack's apartment," Stella scoffed, pulling on her jacket and heading towards the door. "Please!"

Kate flushed. "Ok, you got me there." She followed Stella to the elevator and stabbed at the call button. "I've been spending time with him."

"So that's what it's called now," Stella teased. "Spending time with him."

"Shut up," Kate ordered, turning red again. "When we're on the same shift is the only time I get with him outside of work. Why waste it!"

"Agreed. Now, I'm going home." Stella stuck her hand out into the street and flagged down a passing cab. Turning back to Kate, she grinned. "To 'spend time' with my husband!"

Kate waved and headed towards the police house. Nodding to the young woman at the desk, she headed towards the bullpen. Angell sat at her desk, studying a file. She was so intent on the paper in front of her that she didn't hear Kate approach the desk until she was standing next to her.

"Sorry" Kate apologised as Angell yelped in fright and knocked a cup of cold coffee into her lap. "I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's ok," Angell told her, mopping resignedly at the coffee stain spreading across the white fabric of her shirt. "I didn't like this one anyway."

Kate propped a hip against the desk and eyed Angell suspiciously. "Jess, what's going on with you?"

Angell became very interested in the paperwork she'd been studying. "It's a big case, Kennedy. I'm trying to prove myself to the Captain."

"Jess," Kate began, praying for inspiration. "I know we don't know each other that well, but I meant it when I said that I'd listen. I won't keep asking if you're ok. "

"I'm fine," Angel insisted, giving her a thin smile. "I really am. Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?"

Kate took the change of subject to mean that the discussion was over for now. "Yep! Davis is taking me over in the cruiser. He and Sully are being great." She spotted the tall figure of Davis heading in her direction. Hopping off Angell's desk, she waved at Maka, who was hunched over her computer screen. "Don't you guys ever take time off?"

"Time off is like hen's teeth," Angell informed her with some of her usual jovial manner.

"Hen's teeth?"

"Hen's teeth. A myth," Angell explained. Seeing Kate's confused look, she shrugged. "I have an Irish Granny of my own. Tell Tara I said hi."

"Will do. And Jess? Try and get some sleep tonight, ok?"

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"It was pretty gruesome," Kate told her sister as she stretched out on the hospital bed. Tara had opted for one of the visitor's chairs. Davis lounged in the other one, while Flack chose to perch on the end of the bed and toy with the end of Kate's long braid.

"Sounds terrible," Tara grimaced. "I'd really hate to do your job, Katie."

"How about mine?" Flack demanded. "Don't I get sympathy too?"

"Or me," Davis added, adopting an injured air that made both women laugh at him. "I have a very tough and demanding job."

"You were escorting a rookie around for the last two days," Tara teased, smiling at him. "The poor guy. I bet you're just mean when you're driving!"

"That was uncalled for," Davis sniffed. "I'm leaving now. Kate, it was a pleasure. Flack, I'll catch you at the house tomorrow."

"What about me?" Tara asked, almost shyly. "Will you come and visit me when I get home tomorrow?"

"What!" Kate sat bolt upright and shrieked at the tugging on her hair. "Don, quit it! Tara, when did you hear that?"

"Just before you came to visit," Tara told her. "I'm being discharged tomorrow and in another two weeks I'll be able to get back to work for half shifts."

"That's awesome," Davis said with a grin. "We'll have to throw a party." He stood up, buttoning the top button of his uniform shirt with some regret. "I have to go. I dread to think what Finney will be up to in the ER."

"He's a nice guy," Tara protested. "I met him when he was working over with the five three. He got hit with a taser and it knocked him clean off his feet. Poor guy."

"He's a liability," Davis snorted. "He pulled his gun out and almost shot a kid because of a few fireworks!"

"Give him a chance, "Tara suggested, standing up to walk with him towards the door. "He might turn out to be a good cop. And a good friend."

Davis snorted again, but didn't argue with her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently. "I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Bye," Tara called after his retreating figure. She turned around to see Kate and Flack watching her suspiciously. "What?

"Davis?" Flack asked, a glint in his bright blue eyes. "You and Davis?"

"No," Tara shot back, lowering herself into the chair again. "Not 'me and Davis'. He's a friend, Detective. That's it."

"If you say so," Flack said, grinning. "But he doesn't look at you like he wants to be your friend!"

Don!" Kate smacked his arm. Turning to her twin, she smiled encouragingly. "He's a great guy, T. You could do worse. "

"I'm not going there," Tara protested. "I'm not. So drop it."

"Ok, ok, ok." Kate held up a hand. "I'll be good. Now, what time are you getting out of here tomorrow?"

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Flack woke up with a start to hear Kate whimpering in her sleep. He curved his body around hers and held on tightly, whispering in her ear. "Kate? Come on, baby. Wake up."

That was usually enough to wake her out of whatever was taking over her dreams. Despite the required visit to the Department psychiatrist, she still had restless nights and hated the dark. The first few nights after she'd been abducted had been frightening.

Flack repressed the usual rage he felt whenever he thought of the way she had woken up screaming out loud, terrified that he was coming to get her. She had clung to him, burrowing against his chest and whimpering like a frightened puppy until she fell asleep again from sheer exhaustion.

Since then, she'd spent almost every night curled up beside him, in either her bed or his. Not that he was complaining, he thought, stroking a soothing hand along her back. She sighed slightly and wriggled closer to him, burrowing into the warmth of his body until her breathing evened. He pulled the sheets up, covering her so that she wouldn't be cold, and fell asleep himself.

Kate awoke a few hours later and stretched slightly so she could look up at Flack. A glance over his shoulder told her that she had exactly an hour before she had to get up for work. A smile tugging at her lips, she kissed his shoulder gently, and then began to stroke the skin along his bare chest. She pressed a kiss to the scar over his heart, shuddering a little as she always did when she thought of the accident.

Flack's hand shot out as her hand slid across his belly, making the muscles there quiver. "Good morning," he rasped, opening his eyes and looking at her. "Did you sleep ok after that bad dream?"

Kate smiled and nodded. "Sorry I woke you," she said, propping her chin on his chest and continuing to gently explore his ribcage. "I didn't mean it."

"That's ok," Flack said, hissing through his teeth as her small hands began to leave tingles across his stomach. "I don't mind. But what are you doing now?"

"Saying sorry," Kate told him with a wicked grin, pouncing on him with a squeal of laughter.

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Kate hurried into the lab with a glance at her watch, knowing that Stella hated when people were late. Footsteps behind her made her swing around to see Stella coming towards her, breathless and flushed. "I'm late, I know. I'm sorry," she began before Stella could say a word.

"It's ok," Stella told her, waving away her apology. "I'm just in myself. Traffic was terrible!"

"What have we come up with?" Kate asked as they entered the Trace Lab. Lindsay was already there, chewing on a cracker with an expression of utter disgust. A barely touched cup of tea that smelled like strawberries was sitting beside her. Danny was sipping a cup of the same tea and Hawkes was teasing him in his usual good humoured way.

"If I have to drink that crap then he's drinking it," Lindsay told her as Kate gestured questioningly towards the steaming cup. "It's a new rule."

"I think it's a great idea," Hawkes said, earning himself a murderous glare from Danny.

Kate picked up the cup and took a couple of gulps, ignoring the taste. "Terrible stuff," she told Lindsay with a wink. "I'm going to get some coffee."

She returned a few minutes later with a cup of black coffee and set it on the table beside Lindsay. The other woman smiled gratefully and subtly moved over so that Kate could switch the cups around.

"Thank you," Lindsay whispered to Kate, taking a huge gulp of the coffee. "I'm having withdrawals. My husband thinks that the baby will be born with an addiction to caffeine!"

"It's decaf," Kate told her with a conspiratorial wink. "Don't get too carried away. I don't think you should have caffeine either but that stuff is like boiled socks."

"Ok," Stella clapped her hands together. "Let's get to it, guys. Where are we on this one?"

"Autopsy came back on the last victim," Hawkes began. "So Sid thinks that he wasn't the killer, and judging by the blood spatter pattern behind him, Sid is right. Also, the angle of the bullet penetration means that he'd have had to be a contortionist to shoot himself."

"The murder weapon?" Lindsay chimed in at this point. "It was found in the hands of Clara Taylor. She and her sister were lying together, so either of them could have done it."

"Sarah didn't," Kate immediately interrupted. "She has no GSR on her hands. Either of them. Well, not either of them. Clara had some very faint traces of it on her hand when I checked."

"Maybe she was the shooter?" Stella suggested.

"I found minimal trace of it on the hand that had the gun," Kate admitted. "But Stella, I don't think she killed her sister."

"Why not?" Angell asked from the doorway. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Because twins are usually close, but identical twins are exceptionally tight," Kate said firmly. "Trust me, I know. Clara didn't kill her sister."

"I think you may be wrong about that," Hawkes contradicted, looking extremely uncomfortable. He handed Kate a series of photographs. "Look at the spatter here. And here. Now look at the direction of the bullet."

Kate looked down at the photographs in her hand, feeling sick. "It's wrong," she whispered. "It's wrong."

"Let's have another look," Danny suggested gently, seeing Kate's pale face and horrified eyes. "Hawkes, are you sure?

"Yes," Hawkes answered without hesitation. "She seems to be our only suspect at the moment."

"She died in Sarah's arms," Kate argued fiercely. "Look at that, Hawkes. Sarah's arms are wrapped around her, not the other way around. If Clara had shot her sister, wouldn't she be holding Sarah?"

"Not if she staged it this way," Hawkes returned. "I'm sorry, Kate. But I think that this time, with these girls, we're looking at one twin killing the other."

"I'll get Flack and go talk to the mother," Angell offered with a sympathetic look at Kate.

"No, I'll go with you," Kate said quickly. "Stella, I want to see her. I want to get some idea of what they were like." She looked at Stella with pleading green eyes. "Please, Stella."

Stella stared hard at her for a moment and then shook her head. "Kate, let Angell and Flack do the talking on this one, ok?"

Kate's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry? "

"You're a little too close to this case," Stella said gently, motioning to the others that they were done. "I'm not undermining your ability to get the job done, but you're still recovering from your kidnapping and you – "

"Stella, I'm perfectly capable of doing my job," Kate argued. "I just think Hawkes is wrong on this one. I'm allowed to have my own opinion, right?"

Stella sighed. "It's not about having an opinion. It's about letting your personal feelings get in the way of the evidence. And this time, Kate, the evidence points to someone you don't want to see it pointing to."

"That doesn't mean that I won't accept it if it's true." Kate's eyes flashed with indignation. "It's just a gut feeling, Stell. I really think I'm right on this one."

Stella sighed again before nodding. "Ok. GO with Angell, but try and be rational about this. If it was Clara Taylor, she was most likely very disturbed."

"Disturbed enough to kill her twin sister and two others?"

"Those girls may not have been like you and Tara," Stella said, putting a hand on her arm. "Not everyone loves their sisters the way you do." She watched Kate's shoulders slump and the younger CSI walk dejectedly from the room.

"Damn it," she whispered to herself. "Damn it."

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"Mrs Taylor, the evidence collected at the scene suggests that Clara may have been the shooter." Angell kept her voice calm and even. "Do you have any knowledge of her ever having a gun?"

Susan Taylor's eyes were swollen and red rimmed. Her dark hair was scraped back from her face and she wore a simple black dress, the colour a start contrast to the pallor of her features. She looked up at Angell and shook her head in disbelief. "No. Clara would never shoot anyone. There must be some mistake."

"I'm afraid not, Mrs Taylor," Flack interjected gently. "All the evidence points to Clara being the one who pulled the trigger."

"That's wrong," Susan hissed, surging to her feet. "My daughter would never harm her sister. Or anyone else. She was a good girl." Her voice broke. "She was…they were…" She began to sob, her whole body shaking with the force of her grief. "I want them back."

Kate immediately went to her side, putting one arm around her and leading her back to the chair." Is there someone we can call?"

"No." The answer was flat. "My husband died when the girls were four. They're all I have." Her face was wet as she looked up at Kate. "I've got nobody left."

Kate handed her a Kleenex, ignoring the look that passed between Angell and Flack. "Mrs Taylor, may I look at Clara's room? I might find something that supports your theory." She returned Angell's furious glare with one of her own.

"You believe me?" Susan clutched at Kate's sleeve, hope flaring briefly in her eyes. "You believe me? Really?"

"I want to," Kate said carefully. "It would help if I could have a look at the girl's rooms."

Angell followed her down the corridor. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed at Kate, who calmly began to search the room that Susan had told her belonged to Clara. "Kennedy?" When Kate didn't answer, she caught her shoulder and swung her around. "Kate, what the hell are you doing?"

Kate stepped back from her, eyes cold. "Angell, I didn't tell anyone that you're not as impartial to this case as you should be. Don't make me regret it."

Angell's eyes turned dark with anger. "You don't know a thing about me. Or this case. So do me a favour and stay out of my way." She turned on her heel and strode from the room.

Kate let out the breath she'd been holding and noticed Flack standing in the doorway. "You heard that?"

He nodded, not saying anything.

"I'm right about this, Don." Kate looked up at him, her face earnest. "I know I am."

"Kate, I'm not a scientist," he began. "But you are. You should see that the evidence – "

"It's wrong!"

"Kate, listen to yourself," Flack said, his voice rising. "You're obsessed with these girls. What are you going to do if Hawkes is right and Clara did shoot those people?"

Kate shook her head, refusing to believe it. "She didn't, Flack."

"Back to last names, huh?" When she refused to meet his eyes, he sighed and shook his head. "I don't want you to be wrong about this one, Kate. But I'm going to have to go with Angell on this one."

Kate's head snapped up. "You think I'm too involved in this one? That I can't do my job?" When he didn't answer, she stared at him. "Well then you can just go and – "

"Flack," Angell interrupted them, poking her head into the room. "We've got another call." She disappeared down the hall again.

"I have to go," Flack told Kate. "We'll talk later, ok?"

"Go," Kate said, turning her face away so he wouldn't see tears rise to her eyes. "Go after your new partner. She's waiting for you."

"She's not my partner, Kate. We just have this case together. And despite what you might be thinking of me now, I can disagree with you at work and still be your boyfriend outside of it."

Kate's shoulders stiffened at his words. "I'm going to stay home tonight. I'll see you back at the lab."

"How will you get back?"

"I'll call Danny, have him pick me up. Go find out what your call out is. I'm not done here."

"I can't leave you at a scene," Flack sighed. "It's against protocol. I'll send Angell on and meet up with her." He pulled out his radio and spoke to Dispatch. An unintelligble burst of static and voices came back at him a few minutes later. "They'll send someone else out. Angell said she'd wait outside, by the sounds of it."

"Thanks," Kate said quietly. She looked up at him. "There's nothing here, Don."

"I know. I didn't think there would be." He reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

She allowed herself to lean against him briefly. "I don't want to be wrong about this."

"Not everyone loves their family the way you love Tara," Flack told her. "I personally can't imagine life without any of my brothers and sisters, but then again, we don't know what was going on in her head."

"I don't think she did it," Kate repeated. "It's just a feeling I've got."

"Spidey senses, huh?" Flack teased. "What other super powers have you got?"

"Shut up," Kate said, smiling for the first time in hours. "Come on. I want to check Sarah's room. Maybe there's something there."

"You don't give up, do you?"

"No," Kate replied as she began to poke around the closet and the various other drawers and boxes in Sarah's room. She stopped suddenly and looked up at him. "Did you say boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Boyfriend. You said that you could disagree with me at work and still be my boyfriend outside of it." A smile spread slowly across her face. "You said boyfriend."

He blushed. "This is really not the place to be having this conversation."

Kate's face fell and she turned around to the bedside locker, picking up the photograph of the twins at a formal dance of some kind. "They were really beautiful," she said wistfully. "They totally stood out from the crowd. Look at all the guys in the background, watching them."

"Kate." Flack's voice was gentle. "I did say boyfriend. I've kind of started thinking of you as my girlfriend." He was watching her closely now, for a reaction. "I realise it's all a little fast, but I just think – "

"Boyfriend," Kate repeated in wonder. "You want to be my boyfriend? I have a boyfriend."

"I have a girlfriend," Flack teased, bumping her with his shoulder. "Wow."

"Wow," Kate echoed. Her face sobered up. "Don, what kind of CSI am I! I'm here in the middle of a dead victim's room, happy because you want to be my boyfriend. That makes me so..."

"That makes you human," Flack argued. He looked at his watch. "And Angell will kill us both if we don't get our asses in gear."

"Something's up with her," Kate told him, looking at the photograph again, her eyes sad. "Something is seriously up with – Don!"

"Something's up with me?"

"No, you idiot!" Kate exclaimed. "Look at that photograph. Look at the background."

Flack peered at it and shook his head. "I don't see it."

"Look at that girl," Kate pointed to a girl standing directly behind the twins. "She's got the same dress on as they do, and her hair is the same style."

"Wait," Flack said slowly. "Isn't that – "

"Violet Stenson!" Kate cried, almost jumping up and down. "It's Violet Stenson!"

"Hang on," Flack cautioned. "That doesn't make her our shooter."

"It makes her a suspect," Kate argued. "Look at her face. She hates them. You can see it in her eyes."

"Let's go ask the mother," Flack suggested. "She might know more."

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"Violet?" Susan Taylor repeated. "Violet is - was – a good friend of the girls. They hung out together all the time. People used to say if they had a triplet, it would be Violet." She smiled sadly. "She sent me that bunch of flowers over there. And she's been so sweet, calling to the house this morning and bringing her father…"

"Did they ever argue?" Kate asked. "Was she friendlier with one of the girls above the other?"

Susan considered for a moment and shook her head. "No. Sometimes she hung around with Clara more so than Sarah, but that was because Clara didn't have all the same subjects as Sarah." Another sad smile crossed her face. "My girls may have looked like peas in a pod, but they were very different. I used to remind them that Violet wasn't like they were. She used to feel a little left out sometimes. But the girls always came back to each other, no matter what. They were very close."

"Most twins are," Kate agreed, thinking of Tara.

"Do you know identical twins?" Susan asked her, surprised.

"I am one," Kate responded with a smile. "I have a twin sister. Her name is Tara."

"Can you tell us about the picture on the nightstand upstairs?" Angell asked. She and Kate had come to a shaky truce when Kate had shown her the photograph.

"The Formal?" Susan looked puzzled. "That was four weeks ago. Violet came in the same dress as the girls. They laughed about it, but I think Sarah was a little upset. Clara had been spending more time with Violet than with her. They talked it out, as far as I know."

"Did they have a fight?" Flack asked, leaning forward. "Violet and the girls, I mean."

"Sarah didn't say," Susan said. "But they came home separately that night. I think Sarah had a date."

"Thank you, Mrs Taylor," Kate said, rising along with Flack and Angell. "You've been a huge help."

"What do you think?" Kate asked Flack as she fished in her pocket for her cell phone. "I'm going to call the Lab and see what Hawkes can come up with to link someone else to that shooting."

"Don't jump the gun, "Flack advised, wincing as he realised what he'd said. "Sorry. Don't jump to conclusions."

"She's the logical conclusion," Kate told him as she got into the Jeep. "I know I'd be pissed if someone tried to get between Tara and I. Dee is different," she added, seeig Flack's face and knowing what he was thinking. "She's friends with both of us but she's got her own life. Violet Stenson obviously wanted to be part of Clara and Sara's lives. So when Sarah called her on it, she got mad."

"You don't know that," Flack said firmly. "I know, it's a good motive. And a simple test will prove if she shot that gun."

"There were no prints on it," Kate reminded him. "It was almost like it was wiped clean."She looked at Angell, sitting in silence in the back seat. "What do you think, Jess?"

"I think we'll let the evidence speak for itself, "Angell said shortly. "Let's go."

**Again, all I've got time for. Thanks to my faithful reviewers and readers, to all those who've added me to their lists and alerts and all that. I really appreciate it. Let me know how ye're all getting on! **


	28. The Eyes Don't Lie

**Well hello there! As usual I start off by apologising for my lateness in posting. I haven't forgotten Lily either, but RL is kicking my ass at the moment it's all gone wrong!! Anyway, I've had a huge number of hits on this story (finally figured out how to use my stats!) and I'm grateful to everyone who read and reviewed. **

**Xomgitslexie: I've been keeping up with your fic, I will review ASAP! Angell's secret will be revealed soon I promise. **

**BEG75: RL commitments are a pain in my behind right now, but I'm getting back on track! I am keeping up with Brooklyn too, I will review soon I swear! **

**Hope4sall: Angell is a bit of an enigma, isn't she. She's terribly hard to read. I watched 'DOA for a Day' last night, it was only aired in Ireland now and she's a tough one to figure out! But I still like her. She's cool! **

**Elizabeth Rankley: She's tough as a rule, but she's got something on her mind. Keep reading to find out! **

**Chapter 28. The Eyes Don't Lie. **

Flack pulled Angell aside outside Interrogation and took her arm. "Jess, in here." When she looked at him, puzzled, he simply hauled her inside the room adjacent to them and looked at her quizzically. "Ok, spill. What's getting to you?"

Angell stiffened. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Her face was carefully blank. "If you're talking about Violet Stenson," she jerked a hand at the glass separating them from the glass window separating them from their suspect, "then you're wrong. I didn't know it was a crime to disagree with your little girlfriend."

Flack's jaw hardened. "Ok, Angell. Play it your way. I was just going to ask if you were ok. But I'm tired of trying to figure out what's wrong with you. I want you to go to Sinclair and ask him to take you off this case."

Angell's jaw dropped. "That's not your call." Her eyes were flashing with fury and something else, something Flack couldn't quite identify. "You have no right to – "

"I have every right," Flack interrupted calmly. "You're not doing your job, Angell. You're distracted and that makes you a liability."

"Go to hell, Flack," Angell said bitterly, wrenching her arm free of his grasp and yanking the door open with such force it shook the glass in the top panels. She stalked from the room, snarling at Scagnetti when he got in her way.

Flack sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. He'd seen hints of tears in Angell's eyes, something nobody had ever seen, he was pretty sure. Whatever was eating her, it was big. And it was affecting her job. Angell never let anything get between her and the job. It was one of the things he'd found attractive about her when they'd dated the year before. She had that same single minded focus as he did, the same dedication to her work and the same thirst for justice he had.

He looked in and saw Kate tapping a finger against the table, clearly waiting for him to come in so she could begin her interrogation of the nervous teenager in front of her. He straightened up his tie with another sigh. Females. They would surely be the death of him.

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"Violet, can you describe your relationship with Clara and Sarah Taylor?" Kate said, controlling the urge to yell at the sullen girl in front of her. "Were you friends with both of them?"

"They were both my friends," Violet told her quietly. "I loved them equally."

_Don't think I'm falling for that,_ Kate thought, _because I'm so not._

"Miss Stenson, can you tell us more about the shooting?" Flack asked, keeping his face blank. His eyes bored into Violet's face. The girl met his eyes for a moment, but looked away.

_Gotcha_, Kate thought triumphantly. _I just knew you'd melt under those eyes_. She kept her urge to smile in check, knowing that even if Violet wasn't the shooter, she certainly knew who was.

"Miss Stenson," Flack prompted. "Please answer the question."

"I was friends with Clara, I guess, more so than Sarah," Violet admitted, twisting her hands together nervously. "We had all the same classes."

"Did it ever bother you that the girls were so wrapped up in each other," Kate asked, remembering several girls from her own middle school that had called her and Tara freaks because they didn't seem to need anyone else aside from each other.

"They were identical twins," Violet stated flatly. "They were more like one person sometimes than two separate people."

"But did that bother you?" Kate persisted.

"No." Violet sat back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I think that my father should be here for anything else you have to ask me."

"That's your right," Kate smiled pleasantly. "We'll get in contact with him right away."

"Angell, wait!" Kate hurried after Angell, who fixed her with a hard glare and kept walking. "We didn't get anything out of Violet Stenson. Her father swept in like a damn white knight and took her home."

"Figures," Angell said bitterly. "They always get away."

"Jess, stop." Kate clamped a hand on Angell's arm and looked up at the taller woman. "What's going on?"

"Look." Angell whirled on her, furious. "Can you and your boyfriend just leave me alone? I told him already this morning. Now I'm telling you. I don't want your help. Or need it. So just leave me alone."

Kate was left gaping after her, cheeks burning as she realised that everyone in the corridor had heard what Angell said. Bosco and Davis stood watching the scene with interest. Seeing Kate's red face, Davis headed towards her.

"So," he said casually, falling into step beside her. "Tara's getting out today, huh?"

Kate looked up at him, and something clicked inside her addled brain. "In here." She grabbed Davis by the arm and yanked him towards an empty Interrogation room.

"Um, Kate, people will talk," Davis said mildly, leaning against the wall. "Especially since Detective Angell just announced to the entire house that you and Flack are dating!"

"Oh please," Kate scoffed. "Like they haven't been talking for months now!" She fixed him with a steely glare. "What are your intentions towards my sister?"

Davis did a double take. "Excuse me?"

"Ty," Kate hissed. "Answer the question!"

"Kate, what in hell are you talking about?"

"Ty Davis, Junior." Kate advanced on him with a warning glare. "I'm asking you now, as her sister. And as your friend." She pointed a finger at him. "I've seen how you look at her."

Davis merely raised his eyebrows at her and remained silent.

"Oh for God's sake!" Kate threw her hands up and sat down on the chair. "Davis, I'm not going to eat you. You're too big." That earned her a smile. "There, I knew you could do it. I'm just asking."

"I don't know," Davis admitted. "I know she's been through a terrible time. I don't want to push her."

"But," Kate prompted. "I can sense a but in there."

"But," Davis continued, rolling his eyes at her. "Just…but."

Kate stared at him, disgusted. "But? Just but? That's all you've got?"

"I don't want to hurt her," Davis said quietly. "And I could."

"She could hurt you too," Kate felt compelled to point out. "Ty, I asked her about you. I think she's just confused right now. She was attacked, hurt, beaten…" She broke off with a shudder. "She could have been killed."

"I know," Davis interrupted. "And she told me about that Gary guy."

"Gary," Kate said calmly, "is a horse's ass."

"Agreed."

"Good." She flashed him a grin. "Now, back to your problem. Are you interested in my sister?"

"Yes," Davis admitted. "But I'm not saying another word until I talk to her."

"Fair enough," Kate conceded. "But I swear, if you hurt her…"

"I like my face the way it is," Davis said, backing towards the door. "Can I go now?"

"Dismissed, Officer," Kate teased. "Go on. And Ty?"

"Yeah?"

"Come by anytime. You make her smile. That's something even I can't do lately." She crossed the room to him and pulled his head down so she could kiss his cheek, making him blush.

"I'm not telling Flack about this," Davis informed her as they left the room. "He's mean when he's rattled!"

"You could take him," Kate teased, hooking an arm through his as they strolled towards the main doors. "I've got to go, Ty. The Kellerman High school shooting is taking us all for a ride."

"I thought the sister did it." Davis said with a frown. He caught Kate's incredulous look and shrugged. "We hear things in the house too, you know. It's not you lab rats that get all the gossip!"

"She didn't shoot her," Kate said firmly. "There's no way she's our shooter."

"If you say so," Davis sounded doubtful. "I just think that people have a constant way of surprising you."

"Well, it's not that way this time," Kate snapped. "Clara Taylor didn't shoot her sister. Or any of those other people."

"There's a connection somewhere," Davis said sensibly. "You'll find it. Just keep looking for the links."

Kate stopped to stare up at him. "Ty, have you ever thought about working in Homicide? As in becoming a Detective?"

He grinned and shook his head. "Not a chance. Anti Crime's where I'm headed. I want my own division and I want to stop them before they happen, not find them when they're done."

"Admirable," Kate mused. "Just don't do it too well, or we'll be unemployed!" She laughed at his expression. "See you later!"

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"Why were you and Davis hiding in one of the Interrogation rooms across the road?" Lindsay demanded, barrelling into the computer lab where Kate was hunched over a monitor, comparing results of various DNA samples. "Bosco said that Davis was getting some twin action!"

"Bosco is a jerk," Kate declared without taking her eyes off the screen. "And I have a boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh?" Lindsay said with a smile. "Nice."

"Nice," Kate said smugly, "is what you call old ladies. Don is…"

"Hot?" Lindsay suggested, making Kate gape at her. "What? I'm _pregnant_, not blind! And besides, you'd have to be dead a week to not notice those eyes!"

"Ok, crazy hormonal pregnant lady," Kate laughed. "Back off!" She tore her eyes away from the screen to look at Lindsay and smiled at the other woman.

Pregnancy suited her. Her brown hair was shiny, her eyes were bright and clear. And, Kate thought enviously, her skin was in great condition. She'd started to show a little over the top of her pants, and Kate had noticed that she was prone to patting her belly without noticing she was doing it.

"What?" Lindsay demanded, putting her hands to her hair. "Am I all messed?" She was running her hands over her curls as she spoke. "Do I have ink on my clothes again?" She checked the front of her red t-shirt.

"No," Kate told her. "I was just thinking that you're looking a lot better today than you did last week."

"I was only sick once this morning, "Lindsay proclaimed proudly. "Danny thought I needed to be checked out just in case I was really sick!"

"Danny is going to be a wreck by the time this baby appears," Kate predicted. She sighed loudly and slumped backwards in her chair. "This case is driving me nuts."

"Didn't Stella and Mac call it?" Lindsay asked, frowning. "I thought that we decided the shooter was one of the twins."

"Clara isn't the shooter," Kate ground out. "She just isn't."

"Kate, maybe you need to take yourself off this one," Lindsay suggested cautiously. "You seem to be in way too deep." When Kate only looked at her, she sighed. "Ok, ok. Sorry. Can I help?"

Kate quickly outlined her reasons for suspecting Violet Stenson and Lindsay nodded. "Ok. GSR. She could have washed her hands."

"She did. I swabbed them. No trace."

"She probably washed her clothes, too." Lindsay tapped a finger on her chin. "So there's no real point in testing those."

"She did." Kate shrugged when Lindsay's eyebrows shot up. "I asked her already for them."

"Ok, so let's see. She washed her hands, her clothes. Where would GSR get that she wouldn't wash?"

"Her jewellry?" Flack suggested, coming into the room in time to hear Lindsay's question. When both women gawked at him, he winked. "I am a man of many talents, ladies."

Kate blushed at the train her thoughts were taking. "Yeah, whatever. Why are you here?"

Flack did his best to look wounded. "Can't a guy come and see his favourite lab rats?" He yelped as Lindsay cuffed the back of his head. "Ow! Damn, Montana, being pregnant is making you scary!"

"I was always scary, Flack," Lindsay said, grinning at Kate. "You just never saw it."

Kate watched as she left, giggling to herself. She found herself being tugged forward until she was sitting in Flack's lap. "Don!" Her voice was a squeak. "I can't be like this! Not here! I work here! Mac could see me!"

Flack laughed and released her reluctantly. "Ok, ok." He watched as she settled in her chair again, absently twirling a strand of hair around her fingers. "What's up?"

"Well, it's the Kellerman High case." Her green eyes locked on his. "I think we need to test Violet Stenson again for GSR."

"Kate." Flack sighed and shifted over so he could look in her eyes. "I think you're right, you know I do. I trust your instincts. But I can't haul in a teenager with nothing else to go on other than your gut."

Kate nodded miserably. "I've gone over and over everything I can, Don. I can't think of anything else to do. I just…I just know she didn't do this."

"What is it Mac says when you're stuck on something?" Flack tapped a finger on her nose gently. "He'd say tp-"

"Take it apart and start again," Mac's voice stated. "So that's what we'll do."

Kate turned her chair around and gaped. Mac, Hawkes, Stella, Danny and Lindsay stood next to him. They were all garbed in white lab coats and carried files and folders marked with the victim's names. "What's going on?"

"Looks like you've got help," Flack said softly. He was looking at her with a smile. "Go get your suspect, Irish. I'll be waiting for the call." He kissed her, cutting of her squeak, and exited with a wink at Mac.

"You guys," Kate began, looking at them. "Thank you."

She looked on as Hawkes claimed the chair nearest to hers, spreading the photographs of the victims over the table. Lindsay and Danny took the DNA results, putting their heads together and examining them silently. Stella and Mac took the victim's clothing from various sealed bags and began to go over them with their flashlights and magnifying glasses.

Kate smiled at them before going back to her perusal of witness statements. "Thanks, guys."

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"I think I have something," Stella announced an hour later, holding up a pink top stained with blood. "Here, in this blood. Look."

Kate reached out her gloved hands and took the stained item from Stella. "What's that?"

"It's a pattern of some sort," Stella said, pointing to the loops and swirls. "It's small, and faint, but it's not part of the material. It was from something that pressed against it."

Kate peered closer. "It's from some sort of object, like a watch or bracelet. Maybe a ring." Her head snapped up and she grabbed a set of photographs from Hawkes. "Look. It's a match to that watch strap from Violet Stenson. The leather has a design etched into it." She was waving the photo triumphantly at Mac, who smiled at her enthusiasm. "We've got her!"

Stella pulled out her phone. "Hey, Flack. It's Stell. Yup!" She grinned and gave Kate the thumbs up. "Go get her. I'll send Kate down to you now." Hanging up her phone, she looked over at Kate. "Go get em!"

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"Hello, Violet," Kate said evenly, facing the girl. "Hello, Mr Stenson."

"Why have you brought Violet in here again?" Mr Stenson was livid. His eyes were hot with anger as he faced Kate. Flack and Angell flanked her, both expressionless.

"Because we believe she had something to do with the deaths of those teenagers," Kate stated flatly. "And their parents and families deserve to know the truth."

"My daughter didn't do anything," Allen Stenson said angrily. "I know what you people are like. Press and parents are baying for blood, so you'll give them a name and let them hang them out to dry."

"It's better than letting a killer go free," Angell interrupted, her face pale with anger. "How would you like if someone you loved was gunned down in cold blood and you never found the person who did it?"

Kate looked at Flack, eyebrows raised. Angell leaned down into Allen Stenson's face and continued, her face twisted with loathing. "Your daughter is a murderer, Mr Stenson. And Susan Taylor deserves to know that her daughter isn't one."

"Detective Angell," Flack spoke quietly. "Can I see you outside?"

"No need, " Angell declared. Her voice was void of emotion now, her eyes empty. "I'm going." At the door, she turned to a shocked Violet. "You killed your friends, Violet. It's their good luck and your bad that Detective Kennedy here is a damn good CSI, or you'd be getting away with it and Susan Taylor's life would be ruined." With that last comment, she turned on her heel and walked out.

Flack turned back to Kate, who didn't miss a beat. She turned back to Violet and smiled politely. "May I see your watch please?"

"Why?" Violet's eyes darted to her father and back to Kate again. "What do you need it for?"

"Miss Stenson, your watch," Flack said, taking a step forward and daring Allen to interfere with one look. When Violet shook her head, Flack turned his gaze to her. "We can do this the easy way, Miss Stenson, or the hard way."

"You can't hurt me," Violet said fearfully, turning tearful eyes to her father. "Daddy?"

"Violet, "Allen whispered, "Do as they ask."

Tears trailing down her cheeks, she took off her watch and handed it to Kate. "I didn't mean it."

Kate pulled on her gloves and quickly swabbed the strap twice. Flack watched as she tested them both, almost crowing with satisfaction when one Q-tip turned pink and one turned blue.

He liked a colourful life.

"These swabs test positive for blood and gunshot residue," Kate told Violet, who began to weep. "I'd say you have some explaining to do."

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"That was some day's work," Danny told Kate as she was coming out of the locker room. "I heard you got her to crack in less than fifteen minutes!"

Kate smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "There's no victory in this one, Danny. Susan Taylor still has to bury her daughters."

Danny swept his gaze over her black skirt and dark grey shirt, the neat twist in her hair and the black high heels. "That's where you're going now, isn't it? To the house?"

Kate simply nodded. "I feel like I should. She's burying her daughters tomorrow. And she shouldn't have to do that thinking that people feel like one of them is a murderer."

Danny nodded his agreement before squeezing her shoulder and going to find his wife.

Kate went outside and across the road to the five-five, waving to Faith and Bosco as she did so. They were clearly finished their shift and heading off to Sullivan's pub. She politely declined their invitation to join them, instead going inside to where Flack was sitting at his desk, finishing off the paperwork he'd abandoned to help Kate in her pursuit of Violet Stenson's confession.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting in the chair across from him. "You off soon?"

"Not for another four," Flack answered, checking his watch. He looked closely at her. "You changed. Where are you going?"

"To the Taylor's house," Kate answered softly. "I want to tell Susan Taylor the truth about Clara and Sarah's murder."

Flack nodded briefly and stood up. "I'll come with you."

She looked gratefully at him. "Thanks, Don. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Flack took her hand in his and kissed it. "I know," he declared modestly. "You'd be lost for sure."

Kate was silent the whole way to the Taylor house. When they neared their destination, Flack parked the car and took her hand. "You ready?"

"How can you be ready for something like this?" Kate asked bitterly. "Two girls are dead thanks to another teenager's jealousy and hatred." She shuddered, remembering the blatant hatred she'd seen in Violet Stenson's eyes and the ugly twist it had put into the girl's pretty face.

"_They deserved it."_

Violet's words echoed in her head along with the sound of her laughter as she was led away by a grim faced Flack. Angell had been nowhere to be found.

"Where is Angell?" Kate asked suddenly. "Have you seen her since we brought Violet Stenson in?"

Flack frowned. "No. I tried to call her, but she didn't pick up."

"We have to tell someone," Kate said worriedly. "We have to – Don?"

"Yeah?"

"Look." Kate pointed at the front door of Susan Taylor's house. "Over there."

Angell stood outside the door, looking at it. She was dressed simply in a black shirt and dark grey pants. Her dark brown hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail and she was visibly trembling. She took a deep breath and knocked on the front door, entering when a woman answered it.

"Let's go," Flack said, tugging on Kate's hand to get her to move. "Come on."

They went to the door, greeted the black-clad woman who told them she was a neighbour, and went inside to where Angell was talking softly to Susan Taylor. The woman's face was pale with grief, but she was nodding. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she put her arms around Angell and hugged her tightly.

She looked over Angell's shoulder and spotted Kate and Flack hovering in the doorway. "Detectives!" She let Angell go with a whispered "Thank you," and made her way across the room to where Kate was studying a photograph of the twins on their last birthday.

"It's a beautiful picture," Flack told her. "They were pretty girls."

"Yes, " Susan agreed. "They were. " She looked at Kate. "Detective Angell told me that you never gave up on them. When the other detectives thought that Clara was to blame, you never believed them."

"I didn't," Kate said simply. "She couldn't have done it."

"How did you know?" Susan asked her.

"I just knew," Kate said. "Looking at them. Anyone would know." She hugged the woman tightly. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Taylor. So sorry."

"Thank you," Susan answered. "It means a lot that you would come here and say that. I can't tell you how much."

"It's all we can do," Flack said simply. "There's nothing we can say to bring them back."

"But you found the person who took them," Susan contradicted, reaching up to hug him too. "That's what counts."

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"Wow," Kate managed when they left the house. "That was hard."

"Yeah." Flack was unusually quiet.

"You ok?"

"Just thinking about Angell, actually," Flack admitted.

"Ok," Kate said slowly, not sure where this was going. "Why were you thinking about Jess?"

"Because something's wrong," Flack said quietly. "Really wrong. We've worked together for years and I've never seen her like this over a case. Not ever."

"Then go find her," Kate suggested. "She could probably use a friend right now."

"Come with me," Flack begged. "I don't know what to say to her."

"Don, you and she dated," Kate said patiently. "You should really know what to say to her."

"That's why I have no clue!" Flack protested. "I - "

"Don," Kate interrupted, pointing to a plain black Toyota Corolla parked down the street. "Isn't that Angell's car?"

Flack was already heading towards it, peering in the window. "Jess? Jess? You ok?"

Angell was sitting in the front seat, slumped over the steering wheel. Flack's jaw dropped when he realised that she was crying. Sobs shook her slim frame, seeming to come from the soles of her feet.

"Oh, Jess." Kate was rounding the hood, climbing into the front seat and pulling the sobbing detective to her. "What is it? What happened?"

"I should have known," Angell cried, beating her fist against her knee hard enough to make Flack wince and reach around from the back seat to take her hand. "I should have known it was her."

"What do you mean?" Kate looked over her shoulder at Flack. "Jess, did something happen?"

"It's just like Carrie," Angell whispered, raising heartbroken eyes to Kate's face. "Just like Carrie."

"Who's Carrie?" Flack asked her, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Jessie, who's Carrie?"

"My sister." Angell's voice was muffled against Kate's shoulder. "My sister, Carrie. She was murdered twelve years ago."

Kate was horrified. "Oh my God, Jessie, I'm so sorry." She rocked Angell slightly as the other woman shook with sobs. "I didn't know. You never said...I knew you had all those brothers, but a sister?"

"What happened?" Flack cut in, knowing that if Angell didn't talk about it she'd break apart. "Tell us what happened."

"She was in a college class," Angell began, pulling back slightly and scrubbing her hands over her face. "She was eighteen. I was sixteen. It was a Tuesday morning." Her voice was flat. "She went to class, as usual, and then somebody came in and shot her in the head. Twice."

"Did they catch the person who killed her?" Kate asked, keeping her voice low.

"They got him," Angell replied grimly. "It was Morgan Alden, her best friend." Bitterness laced her voice. "He claimed he loved her, but he killed her and took her from us. My mother was never the same."

"How could you have known it was him?" Kate asked. "Jess, you were sixteen years old. Sixteen. That's a child. "

"She told me that she was worried about him," Angell shot back. "I should have known."

"You can't blame yourself for some guy killing your sister," Flack said bluntly. "You're better than that."

"It's why I became a cop," Angell told them, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks. "To catch them and to get justice." She let out a short, sharp laugh. "How much of a cliche is that?"

"Justice is why we all do it," Kate said softly. "Jess, let Don drive you home. Ok? We'll take you home."

Angell allowed herself to be led to the car. "I'm tired," she whispered, looking so sad Kate's heart ached for her. "I'm so tired."

"Go to sleep," Kate soothed, closing the door of the back seat and looking at Flack. He came around the car and took her into his arms, holding tightly.

"I never knew." His voice was muffled against her hair. "Four years of working with her. None of us ever knew."

"Don," Kate soothed, her voice hitching a little. "You couldn't have known. Nobody could. But she's going to be ok." She was rubbing his back as she talked, trying to soothe him. "Don, don't torture yourself. Jess is fine. She just needs some rest and some leave. Ok?"

He kissed her softly, inhaling the smell of her perfume. "Ok."

"Now," Kate ordered, getting into the passenger seat. "Let's get her home."

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"I'm home," Kate called to the apartment as she pushed the door in.

Tara came into the hall, a smile on her face. "Welcome home," she replied. "Dee told me what happened. Are you ok?"

"I am now," Kate said, accepting the hug her twin gave her gratefully. "What's Dee cooking?"

Tara grinned. "Lasagne. Brian and Ty are coming over for dinner. Want some?"

"Do I!" Kate squeezed her sister's hand. "I'm just going to change." She headed for her bedroom, kicking off her shoes as she entered. Her eye fell on a picture of her and Tara, taken on their twenty fifth birthday. They were smiling at each other, poised to blow out the candles on the big yellow and white cake.

Tears rose to her eyes and she dropped down onto the bed with a sob. Arms came around her and she clung to her sister. "There, there," Tara crooned to her. "It's ok. You're ok."

"She was so sad," Kate sobbed. "And I kept thinking that it could have been Mom and Dad, or I could have been without you."

"I knew you weren't ok," Tara accused with a smile for her sister. "You can't lie."

"How did you know?" Kate asked. "Aside from the tears."

"How did you know that Clara didn't kill her sister?" Tara asked her.

"It was her eyes," Kate said. "I just knew it. The same way I knew when I looked at Violet Stenson that she was the one who did it."

"Exactly," Tara declared. "The eyes don't lie, Katie." She hugged her sister again. "Go on, get changed. Dee's waiting for us in the kitchen. She's got hot chocolate."

"You can't have that before dinner."

"I can't drink," Tara pointed out. "So that's the nearest I'll get to indulging myself for a few weeks." She grinned at Kate. "Besides, it's never the wrong time for chocolate."

**I am going to see Mamma Mia tonight in the cinema. That's all I've time for! I've got some work done on Lily's story too so expect an update soon! **


	29. Land of the Free

**It's been weeks, I know. R/L is kicking my ass and I've become embroiled in my Stargate Atlantis fic it just refuses to let me alone!**

**Forest Angel: Thanks for stopping in. I am issuing a fluff warning for this one! Angell's predicament just came to me one night and I decided what the hell! I'd take liberties with her character. AS long as it's not for my own profit it's ok, right?!**

**Katydid13: Thanks, glad to see people are still reading!**

**BEG75: I like Angell, she's got great potential. I can't help but be jealous of her though, she's so gonna hook up with Flack in Season 5. I think she's even going to be a series regular, although I could be wrong there so don't quote me! Thanks for the nice messages, it helps!**

**hope4sall: Thanks so much. I wanted to show that Don and Kate are strong enough to stand up to the fact that Kate's insecure about Angell (she's gorgeous, who wouldn't be!). And I think that it's a nice touch that they can be friends. I'm all for the happy endings!**

**Mrs Don Flack Jr: Some nice fluff just for you! And because I feel like it!**

**I'll reply to you all individually ASAP, just wanted to get some nice fluffy normality back into Kate's life! She needs it and so do I! Hope ye don't get cavities (",)**

**Chapter 29. Land of the Free**

The faint sound of whimpering woke Flack out of a sound sleep. He immediately reached out for Kate, puzzled when she wasn't there. It was the first time they'd stayed together in almost two weeks. She hadn't wanted to leave Tara on her own and their shifts had been opposites for the last week solid. So when she'd told him to let himself in after he finished he'd jumped at the chance to spend a few hours with her where it was just the two of them. Kate had been so soundly asleep when he came in that he hadn't the heart to wake her. He'd merely curled up beside her, letting the warmth of her body lull him into sleep.

Blinking sleep out of his eyes, he peered at her bedside clock. Four am. He sighed. It had been only two hours since he'd fallen into bed beside her. He threw back the covers and went barefoot towards the noise that had woken him up. "Kate?"

He found her sitting on Tara's bed. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched as she held her trembling sister tightly and murmured to her softly. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away.

Finally, Tara relaxed and Kate tucked the comforter around her. She took Flack's outstretched hand and followed him back to her own bedroom in silence.

"How long has that been happening?"

Kate turned from her post at the window to look at him. He was sitting on her bed, hair messed from sleep and blue eyes watching her intently. "Since she got out of hospital."

"That's almost three weeks now!" Flack was horrified. "Is she seeing someone about it?"

Kate shook her head mutely. "Don, she doesn't even remember it in the morning. She screams in her sleep and she doesn't remember. " Tears of frustration spilled down her cheeks. "I can't help her, Don. I can't help her."

"Come here," Flack said softly, opening his arms.

Kate immediately went over and climbed into his lap, sighing against his chest when he wrapped his arms around her and closing her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For waking you," she replied, letting out a yawm. "I know you're exhausted."

"Baby, you can't fix this," he told her, stroking her hair gently. "She needs to ride this one out on her own. Just like you did."

"I had you," Kate replied softly, sighing as the soothing motion of his hands relaxed her. She stiffened suddenly, pulled back from him. "You're not sleeping with my sister!

Flack laughed at her disgruntled expression. "Thank God for that. I couldn't handle both of you!"

She smacked him hard on the chest and then simply dropped her head against his shoulder. "What do I do? She won't listen to me when I tell her to talk to someone. Dee says she won't talk to the hospital shrink."

"She'll talk when she's ready," Flack soothed, resuming his rhythmic stroking of her hair. "Kate, you need to sleep."

She nodded wordlessly, burrowing closer to him. "I just wish that I could do something."

"You can't tonight," Flack pointed out reasonably. "All you can do is talk to her in the morning and try get her to open up a little. Maybe Davis could help."

"Davis?"

"He's crazy about her," Flack stated matter of factly.

"How do you know?" Kate pulled back to look up at him. "Did he say something?"

Flack shook his head. "I have eyes, Kennedy."

Kate smirked. "Yes you do. Pretty blue ones!" She pinched his cheeks, laughing as he shied away from her. "Awh, come on, Donnie, you know everyone loves those baby blues!"

"Quit it," he growled, "or I'll..."

"You'll what?" Kate asked, wriggling away from him as he began to tickle her ribs. "No! Stop that!"

Flack gave up and drew her back into his arms. "I don't know what to do for her," he admitted. "I wish there was something I could do."

"You do?"

"Of course," Flack answered, looking at her as if she'd grown an extra head. "Tara's your sister. That makes her my business too."

Kate wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly. "You're a very good man," she whispered. "A very good man."

"I've been known to have moments," he agreed, lying down and pulling her against him. "Kate, you need to sleep, baby."

She reached over and pulled his head across so she could kiss him. "Later, " she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing softly as he flipped her over onto her back, pinning her to the bed.

* * *

Tara wandered into the kitchen, rubbing at her eyes. Dee had already left for work, so it was just Kate who sat there, sipping at a mug of tea and reading the paper. She looked up as her twin approached, smiling at her. "Hey."

Tara reached for the mug and took a gulp. "Hi. Where's Don?

"He got a callout. He left earlier. Said to say goodbye."

Tara nodded and sat at the table across from Kate, her hair hanging limply in her face. She looked exhausted, Kate thought, watching her as she stared into space.

"Sleep ok?" Kate asked carefully.

Tara shrugged. "I guess."

"Tara, you had another nightmare," Kate set down her mug and faced her. "I was in your room at four am. You don't remember?"

A mute shake of her head was Tara's only answer. She took her mug and went to leave the kitchen, but not before Kate saw the sheen of tears in her green eyes.

"Tara, talk to me," Kate pleaded. "You can't go on like this. Do you think I haven't noticed that you can't even go outside the front door? Or that you panic when you hear loud noises? Or that you pace around your room at night when you can't sleep?" She was standing, blocking Tara's way out of the little room.

"I'm fine," Tara told her flatly, attempting to walk around her. "Just let me deal with this my own way, ok?"

"Tara," Kate held her stance firmly, forcing Tara to look at her. "I don't think that – "

"I said leave me alone!" Tara hurled her mug to the ground, shattering it and sending hot tea splashing all over the floor. "Don't tell me what to feel, what to do! Don't!"

"Tara." Kate stared helplessly at her. "Tara, I didn't mean..."

"Just leave it." Tara held up a hand when Kate started towards her. "Katie, please. Just leave it for now. Ok?"

"Ok," Kate repeated in a whisper. "Ok." She watched as her sister disappeared into her bedroom and pressed her shaking hands to her stomach. Reaching for her cell phone, she dialled quickly. "Hey. It's Kate. Can I ask you a favour?"

* * *

Tara heard the knock on her bedroom door and growled in frustration. Couldn't they just leave her alone! She threw back the covers on the bed and stalked to the door. "Katie, I told you!" She yanked the door open and stopped short when she saw Ty Davis standing outside it. "What are you doing here?"

He was dressed in sweatpants and a grey PD t-shirt with running shoes. "I wanted to see you. Haven't heard from you in a while."

"Kate called you," Tara said, fixing him with an accusing glare. "Didn't she?" She shoved past him into the hall. "You can come out now, Kate!"

Kate's door opened and she peeked out, a guilty flush staining her cheeks. "Sorry, T. I didn't know what else to do."

Tara turned hot green eyes back on Davis, who had the grace to blush. "Ok, so she called me." He shrugged. "I did want to see you, though. I missed you. We haven't talked in a while." He reached out to tuck an errant strand of red hair behind her ears. "How you doing, Shorty?"

Tara looked up at him and burst into tears.

"Hey," he said in surprise. "That's not the reaction I was hoping for!" Reaching out, he wrapped her in his arms and rocked gently. "C'mon, Tara. Am I that bad?"

"No," Tara sobbed, burrowing against his chest. "But I missed you too. And I didn't want to. "

Davis laughed softly. "Good to know." He tipped her head up so he could see her face. "Next time, just pick up the phone, ok?"

"I'm sorry, T," Kate ventured, coming towards them. "I didn't know what else to do. And Ty was so good to you in the hospital, I just thought-"

"Thank you," Tara whispered softly, taking her sister's hand in hers and squeezing. "Thank you, Katie."

"Ok," Davis interjected, sensing a crying jag coming on. "Enough of this. Tara, what are you doing on Friday night?"

Tara looked up at him warily, knuckling a tear away from her eye. "Why?"

Kate, sensing what was coming, bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. "Answer the man, T!"

"The charity ball," Davis explained. "I've got two tickets and the night off." He winked at her. "Just need a date that won't spoil the photographs now."

"A date?" Tara stiffened immediately. "Ty, I'm not sure that I-I mean I can't...I don't want to..."

"I want you to come with me," Davis told her firmly. "Tara, you need to get out of the house. And Kate and Dee will be there. Do you really want to stay in on your own?" He turned dark eyes on her. "Tara, you have to get out. Do you want him to win?"

Kate held her breath, watching as Tara struggled, torn between wanting to stay in where she felt safe and take the hand Ty was offering her. Finally, she shook her head. "No."

"No?" Davis prompted gently. "No, what?"

Tara looked up at him. "No, I don't want him to win."

Kate threw her arms around her twin. "That's my girl. Now, go get dressed. We have to get something for you to wear!"

"Kate." Davis pulled her aside as Tara disappeared into her bedroom again. "What happened?"

Kate quickly filled him in on what had happened in the kitchen. Davis' face was grim when she finished. "Sounds like she needs to talk to someone."

"She won't," Kate said glumly. "Don says she has to ride it out by herself, like I did."

"You had him,"Davis felt compelled to point out.

"She's got me," Kate retorted, more sharply than she intended. She sighed and leaned against the wall. "Sorry, Ty. I didn't mean to sound like a shrew. It's just that we've been able to tell each other everything, our whole lives. I've never had secrets from her."

"This isn't a secret," Davis interrupted calmly. "Sometimes, when you're hurting, you just can't tell the person you're closest to." He looked over his shoulder when he heard the sound of the shower starting. "What do your parents say?"

"They wanted to come out," Kate answered. "I told them we'd be home as soon as we could coordinate vacation time."

"Maybe you should shoot for that soon," Davis suggested. He pulled on his baseball cap. "I'm going to leave you two ladies to your shopping."

"Thanks, Ty," Kate said gratefully, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"You'd have figured it out," Davis said confidently. "Tell her I'll call her later."

* * *

"This week flew," Kate said, fussing with her dress and peering at Tara's reflection in the mirror. "Didn't it?"

"Yeah." Tara was staring at her reflection. Her eyes were huge with what Kate thought was a mixture of fear and doubt. "Kate, I don't think I can..."

"I'll get it!" Dee called as the doorbell pealed. She peered through the peephole and her eyes lit up. "Well hello, boys!"

Flack and Brian stood outside, wearing full dress blues. Brian swept her into a bear hug, laughing as she squealed out a protest. "You'll crease me!"

"Let me look at you," Brian ordered, setting her back on her feet and holding up one of her hands so she could twirl around. "Wow."

"Wow is right," Flack agreed, whistling at her. "You look hot, Dee!"

She rolled her eyes, blushing. "Stop that!"

The red dress with its scoop neckline and full skirt was perfect on her slender figure. Her hair was scooped back and pinned up, leaving her pretty face exposed. Minimal make up and twinkling stones at her throat and ears finished off the outfit. She turned her face up for Brian's kiss, still blushing. "You look pretty hot too, Cambelli."

"I'm going to have to buy me a cattle prod," Brian predicted, "They'll all want a piece of my girl."

"They will," Flack agreed seriously. "Deanna, I want one dance."

"Get your own woman," Brian warned. "This one's mine!"

"Stop that!" Dee repeated, elbowing him. "And answer that while I finish getting ready."

"What's wrong with you the way you are?" Brian demanded, going to answer the door. He let Davis in. "Hey, buddy. Don't you look pretty! All dressed up in the blues for your first date!"

"Bite me," was Davis' polite suggestion, but he was grinning as he took a seat in the living room. He whistled when Dee hurried in. "Nice!"

"Thanks, Ty," she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "Have a seat. Tara will be ready in a minute. Kate is finishing with her hair." She shook her head. "Those girls can never once be on time!" She scurried out again when Kate's voice was heard calling her. "Coming!"

"Women, "Flack said, shaking his head. "They're a constant puzzle."

"They're not," Brian argued. "Dee is as straightforward as they come. No hidden dramas, no deep seated issues…" He lifted his beer and took a long gulp. "She's amazing."

"Except for Sam," Flack reminded him, watching his friend's mouth harden. "Sorry. Had to point that one out"

"Sam is a horse's ass," Brian said dismissively. "She's worth a million of that other woman. Damn fool is blind."

"Agreed," Davis said. "Dee is great." He shifted uncomfortably. "How do you get past the issues part of it?"

"Talking about Tara?" Brian asked sympathetically. He shook his head. "Dee had nightmares for weeks after Kate was taken. She couldn't sleep the entire time Tara was in hospital." He took a swig out of the beer bottle Flack handed him. "I can't tell you how to help Tara with this one, son. I've got nothing." His eyes darkened. "Thank God. I think if anyone did that to Dee, I'd..." His unspoken threat hung in the air.

"Just listen to her," Flack suggested. "And provide a shoulder. She needs a friend right now, I'm guessing. But if you hurt her, l'll have to shoot you." He grinned at Brian, who laughed at Davis' face. "I've gotten kind of fond of her."

"Listen to us," Brian scoffed. "Talking like a bunch of girls! Deanna!" He hollered her name. "Let's go! I'm starving!"

"Stop always thinking about your stomach, Cambelli," Kate scolded. She stood in the doorway, a shy smile on her face.

"Wow," Flack was speechless for a moment. He was aware of his friends' admiring whistles and Brian's teasing compliments. "You look… wow."

"Wow," Kate said, leaning forward to kiss him, "is good." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and twirled around gracefully. "You like it?"

The midnight blue dress was nipped at the waist and fell in grecian style folds to the floor. Her hair was spilling over her shoulders and down her back in a riot of curls. She'd pinned it back at the sides with sparkling combs to match the glittery blue and diamond drops in her ears.

"Are those real diamonds?"

"Do they look like them?" Kate asked Davis, who was staring at her. "No, Ty, it's called costume jewellery. Think I could afford the real thing on a public servant's salary?"

"Fair point."

"Wait until you see Tara," Kate told Davis with a wink as she took a sip of Flack's beer. "You're going to swallow your tongue!"

Tara appeared moments later, fidgeting nervously with the sash on her jade coloured dress. The front of it covered the scar on her chest where she'd had the central line in the hospital. The silk material was slashed at the back, revealing her shoulders and the curve of her spine. Her hair was pinned up in a similar fashion to Dee's, and she carried a small clutch bag. "Are we all ready?"

"You look amazing," Davis told her quietly.

"Thanks," she said,almost shyly. "You look pretty good, too. You all do," she added, raising her voice. "Amazing what dress blues can do for a man. Katie, you don't look that hot in yours."

"Hey!" Kate protested, tossing a throw pillow at her. "Easy on the insults, there, little sister."

"Can we please go?" Brian demanded. "I'm dying of starvation here!"

* * *

Kate looked around the big ballroom admiringly. "We need a night off like this," she whispered to Dee, who nodded vigorously. "Tara really needs this."

"She's doing ok so far," Dee pointed out, looking over at where Tara was chatting to Lindsay. "Lindsay looks great, doesn't she?"

"She's really starting to look pregnant," Kate agreed, smiling.

Lindsay's pink dress was gathered under the bust, flowing neatly over her tiny bump. Danny kept a protective hand on her arm, his eyes straying constantly to her stomach.

Stella, dressed in a black halter dress, looked stunning. Her curls were swept up into a loose knot and she was chatting animatedly to Peyton and Mac.

"Who's on sitter duty tonight?" Kate asked Flack as he handed her a glass of wine.

"Adam," Hawkes answered, having heard her question. He ambled over to where they were standing and introduced his date, a pretty dark skinned woman named Moira. She smiled shyly at them all and took the scene in with her dark eyes.

"Lot of cops here," Kate said kindly, noting that she seemed a little intimidated. "It can be pretty scary at first. Where did you meet Sheldon?"

Moira smiled, her face lighting up. "At the hospital. He was coming in with a body."

"Sheldon!" Kate exclaimed, elbowing the grinning Hawkes. "You picked up your girl in a morgue!"

"Nope," he replied, still grinning. "I picked her up in the ER when she threw up on me and fainted."

Moira blushed furiously. "I had a bug," she defended herself. "I was hospitalised for a week!"

"And Shel here kept you company," Danny cut in, high fiving Hawkes. "Nice work, my friend."

"I have my moments," Hawkes said modestly, making them all laugh.

"We've been assigned seats," Flack reported, joining them in time to catch the end of the conversation. "Mac, Peyton, you're with the big wigs, not with us mere mortals."

"They joys of being married to the Chief Medical Examiner," Mac said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Do shut up!" Peyton exclaimed, elbowing her husband. "You love it. Especially," she added with a pointed look at Mac, "when I get you tickets to all those football games!"

"I'll marry you," Brian volunteered to gales of laughter. "If you get me season tickets to the basketball!"

"i've got those already," Dee said nonchalantly, struggling not to laugh as Brian's jaw dropped. "If you're good, I'll take you to the next one."

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice boomed over the PA system. "Could you all take your assigned seats and we'll open the festivities."

"That's Chief Sinclair," Flack whispered to Kate as they took their seats at the huge round table they'd been assigned. "He's going to give a long speech and then we'll get to eat."

"He does love the sound of his own voice," a voice chimed in.

Kate turned to see Jessica Angell standing there, a small smile playing about her lips. She looked stunning in a pale pink halter dress, her dark hair swept up from her face in a sleek knot. "Hey."

Kate squeezed her hand tightly. "I'm glad you're here, Jess. You look great."

"Well well, Angell," Flack teased. "Who knew you could look so hot!" He grunted as both Jess and Kate elbowed him. "Hey!"

"Flack!" Stella hissed, giving him an evil stare. "Be quiet!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, fellow officers of the New York City Police and Fire Departments, it is my honour to welcome you all here this evening," Sinclair began. He looked around the room, taking them all in with one sweeping glance. "As you all know, this is a charity fundraiser for the families and victims of the terrible events of nine eleven."

The room fell silent as everyone there reflected on the dark hours following the collapse of the towers of the World Trade Centre.

"We all knew people who perished in that building," Sinclair continued, "and we know the effect that it continues to have on our city."

"He's good," Tara commented in a whisper, leaning in towards Dee, who nodded, enraptured by the events before her.  
"I ask you all to stand and observe one minute of silence for our fallen comrades and all the victims of that terrible day."

The entire room rose in one single fluid movement, facing the podium as a single unit. A buzzer sounded, and Tara and Dee watched as the various members of the police and fire department immediately saluted sharply.

"Wow," Tara whispered, watching as her sister and Kate's workmates saluted along with the rest of the room. A glance around told her that Brian was following suit.

The buzzer sounded again and Sinclair lowered his hand. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to invite Detective Kate Kennedy to come onstage and I ask you all to remain standing for our National Anthem."

"When did that happen?" Flack demanded, watching as Kate made her way to the podium. He applauded along with the rest of them as she took the mike from Sinclair and smiled graciously.

"Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light..." Her voice rang through the huge room, swelling with the notes of the familiar song. Flack stood to attention along with his colleagues and watched her.

"Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave..." Kate's eyes met his and she smiled at him. "O'er the land of the free..."

"Wow," Lindsay whispered as her voice soared.

"And the home of the brave." Kate finished and took a bow to more applause. Making her way back to the table, she grinned at them. "How'd I do?"

"You were great," Tara told her, hugging her sister. "I'm proud of you. And I'm glad I was here to see it," she added with a smile at Davis.

"It wouldn't have been the same without you," Flack pointed out, making Tara smile. "It's good to see you getting on your feet again."

"I had help," Tara replied with another smile for Davis. "I didn't do it on my own."

* * *

"Dance with me?" Flack offered Kate his hand and smiled as she rose to join him on the dance floor. The strains of 'Love Me Tender' filtered through the crowded room and the dance floor was full of swaying couples. Kate tucked her head under Flack's chin and rested her other hand on his heart, smiling as he covered it with his own.

"You were amazing," he told her as they moved slowly. "Really amazing."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Sinclair asked me to do it during the week. I wanted to surprise you all!" She tilted her head up to look at him. "It was an honour to be asked."

Flack looked over her shoulder to where Danny and Lindsay were locked together, moving in unison to the music. Flynn and Stella were nearby, Stella's head rested almost dreamily on Flynn's shoulder. "Look at that," he whispered to her, turning her around so she could see what he was looking at.

Kate watched as Davis held one hand out to Tara, who was watching the dancers with a small smile on her face. She looked startled, then shyly accepted. Kate grinned as they took to the floor.

"Don't go buying a hat," Flack warned. "Tara's been through hell. Davis is crazy about her, but I warned him to be her friend and not to rush her." HE grinned. "I said I'd shoot him if he hurt her."

Kate stopped dancing and stared up at him. "You did what?"

"Told him to take it slow or I'd shoot him." Flack repeated, looking puzzled. "Kate, I don't think that she's ready for...I don't want to see her hurt."

"I love you." She said the words softly.

"You said what?" Flack did a double take. "What?"

"I love you," Kate repeated, her eyes shining up at him. "I know it hasn't been very long, and you don't have to say it back. But I wanted you to know. I love you."

Flack closed his eyes as something inside him clicked into place. He drew her into his arms again, breathing in the smell of flowers and the hint of vanilla in her perfume.

"I love you too."

**Sorry, fluff all the way but I am having a bad time of it in r/l and I wanted to at least live through Kate!! Hope you're all keeping well. All the lurking people please leave a review, I could do with them! **


	30. Organised Chaos

**I've been a terrible reviewer and a bad writer lately! I've been totally caught up in my Atlantis fic and of course glued to the Olympics. Well done to the US on yer very hunky swim team they really cleaned up while providing major eye candy for the rest of the world even though our own Andrew was pretty hot too! I have to say I've been admiring the talents (in every sense of the word) of Michael Phelps. He really is quite spectacular.**

**Anyway, enough of him, Kate and Flack are waiting! Hope yer all keeping well and that anyone who has kids aren't going insane getting them ready for the new school year! **

**Chapter 30. Organised Chaos.**

Dee dropped into a chair next to Kate, her dark hair mussed and her pretty face flushed from dancing. "This is one hell of a night," she told Kate, who was sitting on Flack's knee, her arms around his neck. "You guys at the NYPD really know how to throw a party!"

"They didn't do it alone," Tara pointed out from her other side. "You two, stop snuggling! It's disgusting."

"Jealous?" Flack asked, grinning at her as she stuck out her tongue in retaliation. "There's Tara the terror! I knew she was buried in there somewhere!"

Tara only jammed her elbow into his side and smiled sweetly. "Let go of my sister and come dance with me!"

"I've danced with Stella and Lindsay already," Flack whined. "I don't want to dance with you. You'll stand on my feet!"

"She's not that bad," Davis cut in with a smile in Tara's direction. "I've still got both mine intact!"

"Leave them there," Dee ordered, pulling at Kate's hand. "Come on, Kennedys, we're dancing!"

Flack watched as Kate tossed him a grin over her shoulder and followed her friend and her twin onto the dance floor. The sounds of 'Footloose' echoed through the huge room and the girls began to boogie in earnest, wiggling their hips and kicking their feet around, laughing hysterically at each other.

"Pretty picture, aren't they?" Brian commented, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his top button. "Of course, mine is the prettiest!"

"Give it up, Cambelli," Flack told him, leaning back in his chair. His blue eyes were soft as he watched Kate move to the music, her hair whipping around her face.

"You," Brian said, pointing an accusing finger at him, "are seriously smitten."

"He was that way after their first date," Davis interjected with a cheeky grin. "Hard to blame him. Those two are pretty amazing girls."

"He's in love," Lindsay declared as she stood beside Brian. "Get up and let a pregnant lady sit down, would you, Cambelli?" She fluttered her brown eyes at him as he hopped out of the chair obligingly. "You're such a gentleman!"

"My mama didn't raise a fool," Brian told her with a grin. "You should take the weight off your legs and let Davis here get you some water."

Lindsay watched as Davis scurried towards the bar to get her some water. "That's sweet," she drawled. "Now, back to Flack being in love with Kate."

"How the hell do you know that?" Flack demanded. "I've only just finished telling _her_!"

"Because you're my friend and I love you," Lindsay told him, not batting an eyelid at the shock on his face. "Honestly, Flack, it's written all over you. You're totally head over heels in love!"

"Shut up," Flack retorted mildly. "You just want everyone settled like you and Danny."

Lindsay watched her husband attempt to dance with Flynn and some other members of the fire department. "Who wouldn't want what I've got," she mused, stroking her belly gently. "I'm the luckiest girl in the world!"

"I'm going to puke, "Flack teased.

"Don't mention it," Lindsay shuddered. "I've only gotten over the worst of it now. If I have to start being sick every morning again, I swear…"

"Water, ma'am?" Davis appeared at her side. "Here you go. I asked him for the best they had."

"You're a sweetie," Lindsay informed him. "And I think that since they're starting another slow set, you guys should go grab your girls and take them dancing. Look how quickly Flynn cornered Stella!"

Flack hopped to his feet and held his hand out to Kate, drawing her against him. Lindsay watched as she smiled up at him.

"Toast," she muttered, deeply satisfied, before setting her water down and going to corner her husband.

* * *

"Having a good night?" Davis asked as he looked down at Tara.

"It's great, Ty." Tara rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Thank you for taking me."

"My pleasure," he told her, tightening his hold slightly, pleased when she didn't tense, but relaxed in his arms and closed her eyes.

"I want to take you out again."

"What?" Tara stared up at him, unsure if she'd heard him right. "You want to go out with me?"

He looked at her with serious dark eyes, making something flutter inside her stomach. "Yes."

Tara took a deep breath. "Ok."

"Really?"

She smiled shyly at him. "Really."

Davis let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded. "Ok."

Just then, Flack tapped on his shoulder. "I'm cutting in, Davis." His wide grin was infectious and Tara couldn't help grinning back at him.

"How can I resist a man in uniform?" She held out her hand and allowed Flack to glide her around the dance floor. "Who knew you had it in you to be so charming, Flack?"

"Hey!" Flack pretended to be offended. "It's there. I've got game. I just haven't shown it to you." His blue eyes sparkled as he looked over her shoulder to where Kate was laughing at something Angell was telling her. "I'm saving it for your sister."

"She loves you." Tara's voice was quiet. "I can see it in her. Do you love her?"

"Yes." The answer was so simple; Flack wondered how he hadn't seen it coming long ago. "I do."

Tara grinned again. "Good. Then I won't have to kill you." Her unspoken threat hung in the air. "It'll be handy having someone with connections to the NYPD around."

"You don't need me for that," Flack commented dryly, looking toward Davis, who was talking animatedly to Sully. "Seems you've got your own '_connection_' all lined up."

Tara turned serious in a heartbeat. "Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

"Come again?"

"A mistake," she frowned. "Going out with Ty, I mean. He deserves so much better than me. I'm a mess, Don."

Flack stared at her for a moment, then pulled her off the dance floor and propelled her towards a seat. He looked up when Kate started towards them, her face paling slightly. Shaking his head at her, he turned to face Tara again. "Ok, listen to me, Kennedy."

Tara opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it when she saw the look in his eyes.

"You are smart. Beautiful. Don't argue with me," he ordered, pointing at her. "I'm dating a girl who looks just like you and trust me, she's hot. You're feisty. It might not seem like it right now, but you're a hell of a catch."

"How am I a catch?" Tara's eyes were sad. "I don't even know what I want. How is that good for anyone?"

"Because," Flack said, gentling his tone. "I know what you're like behind all that stuff. And trust me." He squeezed her hands. "You're one hell of a catch. Davis would be lucky if you agreed to date him."

"I already did."

"Well damn." Flack scratched his chin. "Good." He leaned down and gently kissed her cheek. "If he hurts you, I'll kill him."

"You're very sweet," Tara declared, taking his arm and following him back to where her sister was looking anxiously at her.

"Just don't tell anyone. My reputation would be shot to hell." Flack winked at her before sliding an arm around Kate. "Miss me?"

"No. What did you do to my sister?" She swatted at him when he began to play with her curls. "Stop that!"

"He was very nice," Tara told her gravely, winking at Flack. "He promised that he'd date me if he broke up with you."

"Did he now?" Kate looked up at Flack, who shrugged.

"They can't keep away from me. I'm hot stuff." His eyebrows wiggled at her. "Women want me. I can't help it!"

"You are so full of crap, Flack," Flynn commented from behind him. "It's a wonder your eyes aren't brown!"

A chorus of laughter went up as Flack pretended to look injured. "My eyes are what makes me appeal to my girl here. She thinks they're hot."

"I actually prefer brown," Kate teased with a sunny smile. "It's more exotic!"

Flack snorted. "Yeah right. Now, who's hungry? I think we should all blow this joint and go get burgers!"

* * *

"We've got Sunday off," Flack told Kate as they slid into the booth at the café along with the rest of their friends. "I checked."

"Ok," Kate answered absently, picking up the menu and scanning it. "I wonder if they have any ice-cream."

"My mother is doing a family lunch thing," Flack continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Want to go?"

Kate choked on the glass of water she'd taken a sip of. "What?" She managed to get her breath back and goggled at him. "What?"

"My mother is having a family lunch thing on Sunday," Flack repeated patiently, enjoying himself. "If I'm off, I try to go. The rest of the gang will be there. Want to go with me?"

Kate set the glass down before she dropped it. "You want me to meet your mother?"

"Unless you have an extra head or warts you've been hiding, yes."

"On Sunday?"

"Is that a problem? Kate, Mama doesn't bite. Or Dad. He gave that up when he retired." Flack took her hand, playing idly with her fingers. "I want you to meet my family."

"It's serious when that happens," Tara teased. She caught her sister's eye and relented. "Sorry. Not listening. Not listening at all."

"Your mother has enough to cook for," Kate said desperately, gripping her hands together. "Sorry," she added when Flack yelped. "I forgot your hand was there!"

"It's dinner with my family," Flack said, frowning at her. "Not a date with the damn executioner! Kate, it's normal. They're good people. They're my family!"

"It's the day after tomorrow," Kate retorted, green eyes wide with something akin to panic. "I have nothing to wear. What will I bring with me? What if they're allergic to chocolate? What if they…Don!" She gripped the front of his shirt in panic. "What if they don't like me?"

At this stage, the rest of the group were listening with interest, along with the waitress, who was waiting to take their order with a long-suffering expression on her face.

"Kate, why wouldn't they like you?" Tara said loyally, squeezing her sister's hand. "Parents love you!"

"Flack's parents will be so delighted to see him bringing a nice girl home, they won't give a damn what you look like. Ma Flack will be chuffed." This came from Danny, who was sitting on a chair, his wife perched on his knee.

"They're great," Lindsay added. "Lorena was great coming up to the wedding, and Don Senior was right there, offering to give me away if Dad didn't make it from Montana."

"That's because you're not sleeping with their son," Kate blurted out, clapping a hand to her mouth as soon as the words were out. "Oh God, I did _not_ mean to say that!"

"Nothing we don't know, kiddo," Stella put in, enjoying the look of mortification on Kate's face. "It's pretty obvious that you two aren't just good friends." She sent Flack a sweet smile. "I'm betting Ma Flack already knows that there's someone special in little Donnie's life!"

"You're evil," Flack said, pointing at her with a glare. "Pure evil. Does your husband know how evil you are?"

"Son," Flynn said jovially, "sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture." He shrugged when everyone looked at him. "I have no idea where that came from. I love her evil streak. It's one of her best features!"

"Good save," Angell told him, slipping neatly into the booth next to Hawkes and Moira, who were watching the exchange with interest. "What are we talking about?"

"Kate's afraid to go to Chez Flack for dinner," Hawkes told her. He'd stayed relatively quiet throughout the conversation, as usual, but those sharp brown eyes missed nothing. He was grinning at Kate, who merely stuck her tongue out at him."

"You guys ready to order?" The waitress had had enough and was tapping her foot on the ground. She looked down at Kate. "Honey, he's a total hottie. Go to his house, charm his mother. By the look of him, it'll be totally worth your while!"

"That's me told," Kate said wryly when the chorus of laughter had died down. "Ok, ok, I'll go. But if they don't like me it's your fault!"

"Absolutely," Flack agreed meekly. His eyes were dancing with amusement. "And Mama loves flowers. It's always a winner."

* * *

"Remind me why I agreed to this?" Kate whined as she stood in front of Tara's closet in her underwear and peered at the contents. Her twin was sprawled on the bed, her cell phone in hand. Dee was sitting on the floor, her legs folded under her neatly.

"Because you love him," Dee told her, laughing as Tara made kissing noises. "Quit it, or she'll run a mile before you get her out the door!"

"How about this?" Kate held up a white blouse. "It could be nice with black pants."

"If you're going for the nun look," Tara said in disgust. "I wore that to a job interview five years ago."

"It's serious," Kate insisted. "I want to look serious and smart and sensible. Not slutty and not like someone you wouldn't want your son to look at, let alone date!"

"Kate, breathe," Tara ordered. "You don't want to look like you belong in a convent. Honestly, you've never been like this before about parents. What's wrong with you!"

"She loves him," Dee sang out with a wide grin. "Oh stop it, you were the same for me with Brian!"

"I'll never tease you again," Kate grumbled. "I swear, if I wasn't crazy about Don, I'd kill him for suggesting that I use my Sunday off to stress about what to bring to his house for dinner!"

"Breathe," Tara repeated, rolling her eyes at Dee. "Ok, how about this one." She held up a red dress.

"Too red."

Sighing, Dee settled more comfortably against the bed. "Kate, you can't go naked! Try on my yellow one, that looked great on you last time you wore it!"

"Too short," Kate fretted, twisting her hands together. "Oh God, I can't go. I can't go!"

"Go where?" Brian demanded from the doorway, making all three women squeak and Kate dive for Tara's bathrobe. "Hell, Kate, I wouldn't recommend you wear your skivvies, but if you feel more comfortable…"

"Swine!" Dee elbowed him in the ribs, grinning as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, out! This is no place for a man!"

"How'd you get in?" Tara demanded, swivelling around to look at him accusingly. "Cambelli, did you break in our door?"

"I did not!" He looked offended. "I used the spare key Flack has next door. He sent me in to see if you were ready to go."

"Not at all," Tara said cheerfully. "Tell him she's freaking out and she can't go with him."

"I'm _not_ freaking out," Kate protested. She was wrapped in Tara's bathrobe and glaring at them. "I'm just...undecided...as to what to wear."

"It's lunch at Flack's," Brian mused. He was tapping one finger on his chin thoughtfully. "How about jeans. They're pretty casual there. Flack's wearing jeans!"

"Jeans," Kate muttered, digging frantically through the closet. "Ok, jeans!" She triumphantly brandished a pair of dark blue denims. "Tara, I'm taking these."

"You have the exact same pair," Tara felt compelled to point out. "We bought them in two different cities on the same day."

"Freaky," Brian said in awe. "That's freaky!"

"Shut up," Dee told him, digging her elbow in again. "And stop being a baby. I didn't hurt you. Come on, I'll make you lunch before you go on shift."

"I knew there was a reason I hung around here," Brian told her, following her out of the room towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Kate, come on!" Flack looked at his watch. "For God's sake, stop being so damn female and get your ass out here!"

"I'm ready." Kate stood in the hallway, hopping from foot to foot nervously. "Do I look ok?"

Flack's eyes travelled the length of her petite frame, taking in the blue jeans and the green silk shirt. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, the way he liked it best. She'd chosen comfortable brown boots with a low heel and minimal makeup.

"You look good enough to eat," Brian told her, kissing her cheek. "I have to go. Good luck. Don't look Flack Senior in the eye, he hates that. And make sure to talk into Lorena's left ear. She's deaf in the right one!"

"Out!" Flack ordered him as Kate went pale. "Come on, Irish. Let's get this show on the road!"

Kate was silent all the way to the Flack house. It was in a pretty suburban neighbourhood, one of seven neatly lined up in a row. Flack pulled his SUV over in front of the house at the end of the row. Several other vehicles were parked haphazardly around it, and the sounds of shrieking could be heard from the back.

Clutching the bunch of daisies she had bought, Kate turned to Flack. "I think I left my sanity at home. Can we go back?"

"Not a chance," Flack told her cheerfully. "It's going to be fine. They're going to love you." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "I love you."

"I love you too," she sighed. "But I hate you right now."

"No," Flack argued, kissing her again, deeper this time. "You don't hate me, baby."

Kate reached up and wrapped her arms around him, smiling against his lips. "Probably not," she agreed. "Considering."

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them jump apart as if someone had doused them with ice water. "Well, well, well," an amused female voice commented. "Is this my missing son?"

Kate turned to face a slender woman with dark eyes and dark blonde hair. "Hello." She fervently wished that the ground would open up and swallow her. "I'm Kate. It's nice to meet you." She held out the bunch of daisies. "I didn't know what else to get and Don said you like flowers. "

"They're beautiful," the other woman said with a smile just like her son's. "Thank you, that was thoughtful."

"Mama," Flack reached out to wrap his mother in a bear hug. "I'm starving! What have you cooked me?"

"Donnie," Mrs Flack said, rubbing her cheek to his, a smile splitting her face almost in half. "You never called to say you were coming!"

"He didn't?" Kate threw him a murderous glare, and smiled sweetly at his mother. "I'm sorry, Mrs Flack. I though you knew we were coming. He never told me you didn't."

"That would be like him," she chuckled. "There's always room for one more at this table. I am Don's mama. You can call me Lorena."

"Ok," Kate said, smiling at her. She couldn't help it. Lorena Flack was obviously a force to be reckoned with. "Don't think you're off the hook," she muttered under her breath at Flack, who tossed her a cocky grin before trailing after his mother, sniffing the air like a bloodhound.

* * *

Chaos, Kate thought later, was an Irish and Italian family gathering. It seemed like from the moment she stepped into the Flack household, noise and activity greeted her.

"Unca Don!" A dark haired little boy threw himself at Flack's legs. "You brought your gun?"

"Hey, Dec," Flack replied, tossing the boy in the air, making him squeal with delight. "How's my best buddy?"

"Good," Declan told him seriously. "Did you know that Aunt Sarah is cooking a baby?"

"Really?" Flack raised his eyebrows at the tall man who had entered the kitchen. "Aunt Sarah is cooking a baby, huh." He set the little boy on his feet and hugged the man. "Nice job, Pat."

"I try," Patrick Flack said modestly, dodging around another child with the Flack blue eyes and a crop of dark curls. "Don't eat that, Dave. It'll make you sick!"

David nodded and continued to eat the potato peel he held in his hand. He held a piece out to Kate, who shook her head and smiled.

"Who's this?" Patrick demanded, turning to Kate and smiling at her. "Donnie, have you brought home a girl to meet Mama?"

"He's what?" A pretty brown haired woman poked her head in the kitchen and let out a whoop when she saw Flack. "Don! Where have you been hiding!"

"Sarah." Flack hugged the woman and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations on the newest Flack to enter the world. "

"It's not here yet," the brunette answered ruefully. "But thanks. I keep having to pee. Other than that I'm great. Not half as sick as I was with Ava."

"Who's Ava?" Kate asked, feeling overwhelmed. "Are there many of you?"

"Who's this?" Sarah demanded. "Don, where did you find her? She looks normal."

"I'm Kate Kennedy. I work at the Crime Lab. It's where we met."

"Irish too," Patrick commented. He slung an arm around Kate's shoulders. "Come on, let's meet the rest of the gang. You should just go ahead and get it over with."

Kate looked beseechingly at Flack, who took pity on her and took her hand. "Come on. The rest are out back."

He opened the back door and let out a wolf whistle at the slender black haired woman who was carrying a baby on one hip and a tray of lasagne in her other hand. "Nice."

"Donnie!" She set the tray on a table and flung her free arm around him. "When did you get here? Is it true you've brought a girl with you? Mama said she was real pretty. Where is she?"

Kate shrank back instinctively when the woman whirled around and fixed bright blue eyes on her. This was Flack's sister, she knew. For the life of her, she couldn't remember which one.

"I'm Emma, Don's sister. That's my husband, Jack, over there. Declan is around somewhere." Emma Flack was like an energy bolt. She placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, two sharp blasts that made the rest of the people, including the other child, stop and pay attention.

"This is Don's girlfriend," she announced. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"It's Kate."

"Kate," Emma continued without missing a beat. "Ok, can you lot pair off so she knows who belongs to who and what to say. Great!"

"Em," Flack said affectionately, "you sure are wasted in the teaching profession. You'd be a great patrol cop."

"God forbid," another woman Flack introduced as Julie said with a shudder. "Dad would never cope if both his daughters were cops."

"You're a cop too?" Kate looked at her with interest. "Where?"

"Over in the 3-5," Julie answered. "I'm a boring uniform. Nothing as exciting as Donnie here."

"Thank God," a fair-haired man put in, handing Julie a wriggling child. "Your son is in need of a diaper."

"He's always my son when he is," Julie sighed. She took the boy from him. "This is my husband, Alan. Al, this is Kate Kennedy. Don's girlfriend."

"Nice," Alan said with a grin for Flack. "Well done, Junior."

"Where is he?" The voice made all of them stand up straight and turn to look at the tall, powerfully built man coming down the steps, a smile on his face. Kate immediately thought that he was the image of Don. It was easy to see where Flack got his Irish looks from.

"Hey, Dad," Flack greeted his father, punching him on the shoulder and allowing himself to be pulled into a hug.

"Is this her?" Donald Flack Senior peered curiously at Kate, pleased when she stepped forward and held out her hand politely. "You're a cop." It wasn't a question."

"I was a cop," Kate corrected automatically. "I'm a criminalist now. I work in the Crime Lab."

"A lab rat," Don Senior scoffed, grinning at her. "They sure make em pretty now, don't they?"

"How did you meet Don?" Alan handed Kate a glass of wine and gestured towards a chair. "Sit down and tell us. Don't be afraid to give us all the details."

"Leave her alone," Flack warned. "I want her to stick around, not run screaming from all you people."

"It was at a crime scene," Kate put in, relaxing slightly as she took a sip of her wine. "I almost got blown up."

"Nice," Emma commented, moving over so her son could wriggle closer to her. He was pulling on her arm. "What is it, honey? Oh." A look of understanding crossed her face. She stood up, turning to Flack. "Take this one, would you? Duty calls."

Flack easily accepted his niece and looked down into the wide blue eyes. "Hello, Erin."

Kate watched as he talked easily to his family, teased his sisters, and cuffed his brother around the head when he mentioned cats. He stood up when his mother came to the back door and hollered that dinner was ready. "Time for food!"

* * *

Dinner at the Flack house was a noisy affair, with loud chatter and lots of teasing prevailing. Kate found herself seated between Emma and Flack. She jumped when she felt something take hold of her foot, peering under the table to find David sitting there, happily gnawing on a piece of bread.

"He's got an iron stomach," Julie said from across the table. "Like his father."

"I'd need it," Alan snorted. "With your cooking!"

"Please, "Lorena scolded. "Try and give the illusion that you have manners! We have a guest!"

"It's ok," Kate said with a laugh. "I'm Irish. We have the same thing when a bunch of us get together. It's what my Granny calls organised chaos."

"Your family are here in New York?" Lorena asked, heaping more lasagne on Kate's plate. "Eat! You have bird bones!"

"My sister," Kate answered around a mouthful of salad. "She's a nurse. She's my twin."

"Identical," Flack chimed in, heaping potatoes on his plate. "They're like peas in a pod, Mama. You'd like Tara."

"You bring her by here," Lorena ordered. "Next time. And bring Brian too. He doesn't eat enough!"

Kate found that the day she'd been dreading ended up flying by. They stayed until just after eight, when Flack claimed that he had an early shift tomorrow and needed to get home. At that stage, Ava was curled up in Kate's lap and did not appreciate being moved.

Lorena hugged Kate tightly as she left. "You come back again. Donnie, bring her back again."

"Yes, Mama," Flack said automatically, kissing Julie's cheek and shaking Alan's hand. "Bye, squirt."

"Love you too," Emma retorted with a grin and a wave from the couch. "Don't wait so long next time, ok?" She grinned at Kate. "You'll do. Come back again."

"Anytime," Don Senior put in. "You're welcome anytime."

"Thank you," Kate answered, charmed by this loud, boisterous family. "Thank you so much, Mrs Flack. I had a wonderful time."

"Lorena."

"Lorena," Kate repeated, putting her arms around the woman instinctively. "Thank you."

"Bye, Mama." Flack kissed his mother and grimaced when she patted his cheek. "I hate when you do that."

"Go home. Get sleep. Be safe." Lorena repeated the same mantra she used every time one of her children left her house.

"Your family are amazing," Kate told Flack as she buckled her seatbelt. "Really great."

"I told you that," Flack said smugly. "But you thought that we'd eat you!"  
"I did not think that," Kate argued. "I was nervous, that's all." She sat up in her seat, a glint in her eyes Flack recognised as trouble. "When do you want to meet my family?"

"How about next year?"

"How about next week?"

"We'll compromise," Flack said, pulling into the traffic. "Six months time will be plenty soon enough."

"Mom and Dad are coming for a visit," Kate told him. "In another month or so. They want to see Tara and me. " She smiled at the look on Flack's face. "What's wrong? Don, they won't eat you!"

Flack's muttered curse was enough to send her into fits of laughter. "Oh come on, you had that coming. You know you did!"

Flack glanced over at her, his expression mutinous. "What if they don't like me?"

"They will," Kate said confidently. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I like you." Her lips grazed his neck. "I like you a lot."

Flack wished for sirens on his SUV. "Stop it," he growled at her. "I'll arrest you for seducing an officer!"

"No law against it," Kate teased, but she sat back in her seat. "I guess I can wait."

They made it back to their apartment block and Flack parked in the garage under the building. "Come on," he ordered, taking her hand. "Last one up is a – hey!"

Kate was running ahead of him, laughing. She pressed the button to close the elevator a split second before he reached it, giggling helplessly at his determined expression.

When the elevator reached the front hall, she stepped out, ready to crow at her victory. Flack burst out of the stairwell and skidded to a stop behind her. Her gasp of surprise and stunned look mirrored Flack's reaction.

Tara was standing in the hallway outside their apartment., wrapped in Ty Davis's arms. He was kissing her gently, his hands on her face, hers on his chest.

"Well," Flack drawled out, making them jump apart. Tara turned fiery red. "Isn't this nice and cosy. Come on, Irish. Roll up your jaw."

Kate could only stare at her sister. "I knew this was coming," she said accusingly. "You owe me twenty bucks."

Tara laughed softly. "Good night," she said pointedly, rolling her eyes at her twin. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Kate followed Flack into his apartment, flopping down on the couch with a sigh of contentment and snuggling against him. "I'm not moving until tomorrow."

"No?" Flack asked with a wicked grin. "Really?"

Kate sighed in pleasure as his lips found that spot on her neck, right where it met her shoulder. "Really."

"Nor for anything?" Flack asked, his hand lazily sliding under her shirt and rubbing circles on her back.

"Well," Kate murmured, arching against him. "Maybe if you twist my arm…"

**I hope ye liked it. I've almost forgotten how to write them at this stage. Check out Aphina's Finding Kate over in Miami, the stories about Stella and Flack written by Hope4sall, and Brown Eyed Girl's fabulous stories about Flack and her OC, Samantha Ross. They're all brilliant! There are loads more, just go and check them all out! **


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